A Family Like Mine
by t.a-m.pIII
Summary: Kagome has left the feudal era for good, Gramps has died and she's all lonely without InuYasha; In an attempt to bring back Kagome's old self her mother sends her to live with her lively cousins the Tendos...
1. Chapter 1 Not Okay

_AN-Thanks muchly for the reviews on my last fic! Okay, so here's something new, (it'll probably be a long one) - hope it's enjoyed and please reveiw!_

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**A Family Like Mine**

Chapter One- Not Okay

Kagome drifted around her room in a dream-like way. Mindlessly she lifted various items before putting them back down. She was attempting to tidy her room, but the problem was that with the perpetual daze she'd been living in of late her room never got messy at all in the first place. When her bedroom door cracked open she barely noticed, she just continued circling about her room without any real conscious thought. Her door closed again.

Sota ran down the wooden stairs and made his way to the kitchen. His mother was supposedly cooking dinner but he saw her leaning against the kitchen counter with a distant, worried expression on her face instead. Like mother, like daughter he supposed. "Mom?" Startled Mrs. Higurashi spun to around to look at her son. "Kagome's not doing much - again. You think she's ever gonna be normal?" Mrs. Higurashi was terrified for her daughter. A year had passed since she left the Feudal Era for good, a year had passed and Kagome still hadn't woken up from her almost catatonic state. Kagome maintained excellent grades at school, did her chores, spoke when spoken to - but she was empty. She hadn't even cried for the passing of her grandfather, just stared blankly at her surroundings as if she couldn't quite grasp the concept. It was almost like she'd left her soul on the other side of the well. _Or her heart,_ she thought as she remembered the silver-haired hanyou. She was starting to feel like Kagome was not going to be moving on with her life for a long time. But her youngest had to be reassured; it was her duty as a mother to keep him happy and hopeful. "Of course honey, any day now Kagome will start to act like her old self." Her voice sounded unsure to her own ears, and she could tell by Sota's doubtful expression that she hadn't convinced him. She felt like a failing mother.

Sota ran back upstairs to check on his sister. She was sitting on her bed cross legged and leaning against the wall, staring longingly at her window. Sota sighed, he may have been young but he wasn't stupid. Kagome was heart-broke no two ways about it. And sticking around here with all the reminders certainly wasn't helping. He went back downstairs and told his mother as much.

An hour later after her and Sota's discussion, she realized her son was right. Kagome wouldn't leave the house for any reason other than school and never talked to her friends, let alone saw them. She'd isolated herself and replaced the people she cared about with hurtful reminders of her first love. Mrs. Higurashi reached a decision. She was going to send Kagome to live with her cousins on the other side of Tokyo for a while. It would force her to spend time with teenagers her own age and keep her from having to see the well and the tree everyday. Kagome could transfer to Furinkan High too if she wanted, but she'd leave that up to her. But it would mean getting up extra early to get to a school so far away which Mrs. Higurashi knew she wouldn't enjoy, and she could always transfer back when she wanted to come home. Feeling slightly guilty she picked up the phone to ring her deceased sister's family.

"Hello, Tendo residence!" Said Kasumi, as she answered the phone. Within a moment Ranma was by her side asking if it was for him, and with all the noise he was making she could barely hear who was actually calling. "A moment please," she said into the phone, still unsure of whom it was that she was speaking to. "Ranma? Would you mind being a little quieter please?" He was instantly quiet. Akane and Nabiki appeared next asking if it was the person Ranma seemed to be expecting. Putting a finger to her lips Kasumi went back to the phone. "I'm sorry things are little hectic here, who is it speaking?"

"You're Aunt, Kasumi dear," Mrs. Higurashi laughed softly, "How are you doing?"

"Oh! I'm fine; we're all doing great here in fact!"

"I'm so glad to hear that dear."

"How are you Aunty? How are you –"Kasumi paused, unsure of how to pose her question without upsetting her Aunt. Akane took that opportunity to rip the phone from Kasumi's hands.

"Aunty! Akane here!"

"Yes, so I hear," she laughed.

"Hey how's Kagome? She seemed a little … off at the funeral and I'm kind of worried about her, she barely spoke to me, I suppose given the… circumstances…but we haven't talked since either…anyway how is she? And Sota? How is he doing? And Aunty how are you?" Mrs. Higurashi smiled; she was glad that her niece's had moved on after their grandfathers' death. But then, she supposed they'd already lost their mother, death wasn't as new to them.

"Sota's fine -and thank you for asking dear- but Kagome is still very upset I think," No need to tell them the details - even if they believed it, "And that's what I was ringing about, do you think I could talk to your father?"

"Of course you can." Akane pressed the phone against her chest. "Ranma, go get dad Aunty wants to talk to him," she hissed. Mr. Tendo followed Ranma into the room a few moments later.

The Tendo sisters and Ranma left the room and settled into the living room. Kasumi nestled herself onto a cushion and started on some clothes she'd been mending while the others flicked the TV on. "Aunty said Kagome wasn't doing so well." Akane said after wrestling the remote from Ranma. "Well she was far closer to Gramps than we were. We barely saw him - Kagome lived with him." Nabiki drawled. "That's that really weird chick from the funeral ain't it? With that necklace she kept tugging at." Akane smacked Ranma on the arm. "Don't call her names; she's having a hard time of it." Ranma snorted. "It's sad alright? But jeez it's been what, half a year?"

"Well Ranma," said Kasumi softly, eyes never leaving her sewing, "She didn't know her father very well, he left when she was young and so she grew very attached to Grandfather, then last year she was getting very sick all the time and was often in hospital missing school and he was very supportive of her and optimistic about her health - what I'm saying is that I think she'd learnt to rely on him greatly for his support." Ranma was about to say something when Mr. Tendo burst through the door.

"Well children, I have some news!" he said folding his arms across his chest, "Kagome isn't doing very well and she's become…withdrawn you could say. Mrs. Higurashi thinks it might be best if she gets away from the shrine a while so-"

"She's coming to stay?" Akane interrupted excitedly, she'd always been close to her cousin, though since Ranma's arrival they'd talked less and less. _Damn him, _Akane thought. He always seemed to ruin everything. "Yes she is! She's possibly transferring to your school too, while she's here but Mrs. Higurashi doesn't know about that yet. So, Son! Come and help me get the spare mattress from the storage, Akane? I'm going to fit the rest of the frame back to your bed - you don't mind sharing a room do you?" Akane shook her head, she didn't mind. "How long is she staying?" Nabiki asked. "As long as she wants I guess, starting next week." Akane was looking forward to it, it would be fun having her cousin around. However Ranma found something to complain about. "Another girl in the house? And an invalid? Akane is already bad enough as it is!" Thwack_._ "Ya calling me an invalid, you _moocher_?" Akane retaliated. Oh yes, he _always_ ruined everything.


	2. Chapter 2 Leaving Home

_AN- **I DON'T OWN INUYASHA OR RANMA 1/2** This had started out as a "Huh, these people in Ranma 1/2 are so like the ones in InuYasha. What would happen if they met?" only it turned out a little more dark/depressing than I'd intended. Or maybe exactly how I'd intended - I like stories about sad people. Have you ever noticed what a strange word hug is?_

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Chapter Two - Leaving Home

Kagome had packed everything she thought she would need for her stay with her cousins. Never quite learning how to pack light, she had filled four different bags till they were bulging. It reminded her of the heavy yellow school bag she'd dragged - she cut herself off mid thought. It was leading her nowhere good. She didn't allow herself to think about how she felt leaving the shrine either. That was a very dangerous topic. So, as usual she focused only on superficial things. Where was she going to sleep? Only that didn't work as it reminded her of the times she had been troubled by the same question in … that place. So she just forced her mind blank (a skill she'd been attempting to develop) and went to go pile her things in the waiting taxi.

She gave her mother an awkward hug, and did the same for Sota. She felt a pang of grief when she remembered the other person who she should've been saying goodbye to - her sweet old grandfather. Robotically she pushed that thought aside as well and got in the car. She leant her head against the cool glass of the taxi window and watched as her surroundings changed. Traffic was especially bad that day. She thought of how InuYasha leapt through the air - almost flying - as he raced to get her to school within just five minutes. She could've been at her cousins by now. Feeling the tears well up she started counting all the red cars she could see by means of distraction. She'd never cried once since she left - not even for her grandfather - and she wasn't about to start. It meant she had to spend a lot of time thinking of ways to not think. It seemed that was all she did lately, but it was better than the alternative; breaking down and giving into her weaknesses. She'd promised … someone, once that she'd never do that.

Not thinking was incredibly hard.

After a while the taxi had rolled to a stop outside the Tendo Dojo. It seemed different, yet familiar and Kagome realized that it'd been years since she'd visited. Kagome felt a little unsettled at this, she'd really lost touch with her relatives… would they still be the people she'd known and loved? She handed the cab driver his money and got out of the car. Immediately she was caught up in a bone crushing hug, courtesy of her Uncle. "Kagome! It's good to see you child!" he put her down. "Ranma!" he bellowed in the direction of the house. Kagome was unused to the volume of his voice. Everything had been so quiet that past year. A boy with a long plait and a red shirt strolled out the door and down the path towards them. "Yea? What's up?" he asked casually, tossing Kagome a disinterested nod of the head. _It's an act, _Kagome noted, seeing through him quickly. "Get Kagome's things to the house, will you Son?" Ranma scowled but did as he was asked. "Always making me do all the heavy lifting." Kagome heard him mutter as he passed them with her bags. He was strong. It'd taken her more than one trip to get her things to the taxi. But this Ranma was managing well; if he was struggling he didn't show it.

So her Uncle was still the same, fatherly and caring, but who was Ranma? She'd seen him before she'd thought, but she didn't know where from. Was he living here or just visiting? Was he a relative of theirs or a friend? Supposing she would get her answers soon enough she quietly followed her Uncle to the house.

Akane was waiting impatiently in the living room for her cousin. She was worried for her and expected Kagome to be quieter than her usual self, but when Kagome entered the room with her dad - well Akane just wasn't prepared. Kagome looked like she'd lost weight since the funeral and she seemed smaller somehow and extremely tired. Her eyes had lost any sort of the liveliness Akane was used to, now they just looked dull and empty. Kagome used to be so full of passion and spirit. It was like it had all been sucked out of her. Frowning inwardly, Akane put on a happy face and jumped up to hug her cousin.

"Kagome! I'm so happy you're here!" Hug. "Kagome, babe, good to see you." Hug. "Kagome, dear, I hope your stay here is comfortable. I've already made up your bed for you." Hug. Ranma walked into the room. "Kagome, you've met Ranma, he's living here with his father - I don't think you've met him, he didn't come to the... well you know," her Uncle trailed off uncertainly. "I'm going to go start on dinner then,"Kasumi said, breaking the awkward silence that followed. Kagome looked over at Kasumi who was already moving towards the kitchen. "Let me help," Kagome said quietly. Kasumi smiled, "I would be grateful for the help."

Nabiki turned to the TV. "Huh, she really isn't coping." Akane agreed silently, settling down to watch TV with her sister and Ranma. She was somewhat disappointed. She didn't expect Kagome to be all smiles and hugs, but she had thought she'd get a hello from her at least. That she'd want to talk like they always used to. "Strange chick." Akane whacked him over the head; Ranma was good outlet for her feelings sometimes. "Did you get a look at the necklace she was wearing? It seemed like some kind of opal, it looked expensive," Nabiki remarked. Akane hadn't noticed it.

"I told you, that thing, she kept tugging at it at that funeral."

"Maybe someone gave it to her?"

"What, like her Gramps?" Nabiki shrugged, "Dunno, but she didn't buy it herself."


	3. Chapter 3 Strange Similarities

_AN-Wow, alerts and reviews; Thankyou! Glad to see people are interested, Lots of things floating around in my head for this fic so hopefully I will get them down quick, fingers crossed._

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Chapter 3 - Strange Similarities

Cooking with Kasumi was strangely soothing. The repetitive motions involved in chopping vegetables were almost hypnotizing - for once Kagome wasn't trying to hush her thoughts every second, because for once she didn't have to. Kasumi was humming softly to herself. Kagome was grateful for Kasumi's soft nature, she didn't ask questions or try to engage her in conversation like anyone else would have, she just let her be. She began to relax.

But when everyone was seated and starting on the dinner she and Kasumi had prepared, Kagome started feeling uneasy again. She could feel the eyes on her as she picked at her food even though her own were firmly trained on her bowl. "So anyone seen Grandfather Happosai?" Akane asked. "Huh, strange I haven't seen the little creep for days, he's probably busy sleazing his way around town," Ranma said this all with an air of indifference before shovelling the rest of his food in is mouth_. He eats like an animal_, Kagome noted_. Or like a certain demon I know_, her treacherous mind supplied. So it was back to this was it? Kagome wished herself back in the kitchen, wanting an end to her constant battle against her own thoughts. "So, Kagome," came Nabiki's languid voice, distracting her from herself. "Who gave you that jewel? You keep tugging at it... must be special." Kagome brought her hand to her throat, only to find her hand was already there, closed tightly around the Shikon Jewel. She frowned. She didn't realise she did that. "Earth to Kagome?"  
"Umm, it's nothing just a trinket is all." Nabiki frowned. "Really? Looks expensive, like an opal that size?." Kagome groaned mentally, just like Nabiki to be thinking of the money. In a flash she saw Miroku scheming money out of poor in-keepers. She shuddered and rubbed her hand over her face, suddenly feeling very stressed. She knew they were all waiting for an answer though she was reluctant to give one, she couldn't talk about the jewel and _not _think. But thankfully she was saved by a loud squealing that erupted out of nowhere.

The sliding door was thrown open and slammed unceremoniously against the wooden frame. A tiny old man flung himself through the room, ending up a crying heap on Akane's chest. "Your pig attacked me! Akane, won't you get rid of it?" Ranma and Akane both looked as if they'd swallowed something sour. "That's Grandfather Happosai, he taught Mr. Saotome and father." Kasumi told Kagome, not noticing Kagome's tense, rigid posture. In one fluid motion Ranma ripped the old man from Akane and threw him to the ground. Akane's pig raced into the room and Akane held him tight against her. "What the hell were you doing to make P-Chan freak out like that anyway?" Akane yelled at the still wailing man. P-Chan squealed indignantly. "Nothing! Oh poor me! Not an ounce of respect for an old man, not even from the pig!" Ranma snorted derisively, "Yeah right, probably stealing from your underwear drawer," he told Akane. He launched himself at Happosai, who was now trying to escape. He caught him and pinned him to the ground with a foot, knocking a bowl of the table in process. The loud crash it made when it hit the ground made Kagome jump and everyone turned to look at her again. "I'll um, get that," she muttered as she picked up the large shards the bowl had broken into.

Ranma turned his attention back to the old man. "I didn't do it!"

"Whatever, you're nothing but a sleazy robber." Kagome froze, the shards she had picked up fell from her limp hands. She could remember exactly, a day when he'd said that same thing, protecting her and the Jewel. She could see everything so clearly. She remembered the light weight of Shippo on her shoulders and she could feel the hot blush that had crept over her cheeks when Miroku had said InuYasha loved her. Oh god, InuYasha, Kagome began shaking violently, trying to suppress the floods of tears that were threatening. She wrapped one arm around herself, while her other hand clutched at her head like she could force the memories out that way. "Kagome?" she could hear someone say and she felt a warm hand at her back. Kagome leapt up and pressed against the wall, staring wild eyed at the room's occupants. Happosai had stopped struggling against Ranma to stare at her suspiciously. "Kagome?" said that voice again. "You're safe okay, it's all right Kagome." Kagome choked back a sob, desperately wishing she were safe, safe and warm in InuYasha's arms. Only she also wanted to not think that because it was only making things worse. "Kagome? It's all okay." Kagome turned and fled the room.

She stumbled through the house trying to remember where Akane's room was – she just wanted to go to bed. After all that time of just feeling nothing, suddenly her emotions were everywhere, she was scared and lonely, confused and … kind of queasy. She turned away from the door of Akane's room and went to the bathroom instead – emptying the meagre contents of her stomach into the toilet.

She rinsed out her mouth and then, feeling exhausted she trudged back to Akane's room and settled herself on the top bunk. Her bags were already in the room, piled in the corner by Akane's desk. She fingered the Shikon Jewel, watching it shine greens, blues and pinks in the light. It used to be pink, she mused, not quite remembering when it turned white like that. It did look like some kind of opal now. She stared at the opposite wall, tracing invisible patterns with her eyes.

"Kagome?" Akane whispered, slipping into her room. She seemed to be sleeping, but Akane didn't think so. "Kagome, I know it's hard. Losing someone I mean. There's not a lot that can make it better, all you can do is try to move on. You can't live in the past Kagome, it's okay to think of them and you should cherish the time you had, but you have to go on and live. That's all I wanted to say. It really is good to see you."

Kagome heard the door close. She knew she couldn't live in the past - she'd said that much to her friends. That was the whole reason she was so alone and miserable now.


	4. Chapter 4 Just Add Water

_AN-Thank you for the positive responses! To **Higurashi-Uchiha Kagome: **Mainly Akane/Ranma but there will be some Shampoo/Mousse, Ryoga/Akari, Miroku/Sango and such. Also some Kagome/InuYasha but not really?? If that makes sense? ...and I have plans for Kuno..._

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Chapter 4 - Just Add Water

Kagome lay by the pond in the backyard, watching the clouds. She preferred it to being inside the house - after the way she'd acted last night they'd begun treating her like glass and trying to 'cheer her up'. All she wanted was to fade into the background quietly.

Hearing something sneak through the grass she turned to see P-Chan watching her. The piglet cocked its head to the side as if it were questioning her. Kagome frowned and turned her attention back to the clouds. Even the pig seemed concerned. "Morning Kagome!" Called Kasumi cheerfully, startling P-Chan. "Will you come help me hang the washing?" At least she could count on Kasumi. Kasumi was humming again as they worked through the pile of laundry, she seemed so happy and content that for a moment Kagome was jealous of her. Nothing ever seemed to faze Kasumi. Not even the unearthly shrieking that had Kagome reaching for an arrow in her quiver that wasn't there.

"Ranma!" Akane chased him into the backyard with a broom. "You idiot!" she yelled whacking him over the head with it."You always mess up everything! You're rude and arrogant and I can't stand to be around you!" Ranma laughed, "S'not my fault you can't cook to save your life!" Akane screamed and threw herself into the task of beating Ranma with her broom. He jumped around her, dodging her attacks easily and laughed at her all the while. _Ranma's just the same as InuYasha, I'll have to find a rosary necklace for Akane_. Suddenly realising what it was she was thinking, Kagome felt that same queasiness from last night come back. But seeing the way he acted with Akane, she couldn't _stop _thinking about how similar Ranma and InuYasha were; rude, seemingly indifferent, yet also boyish and energetic. Kagome wanted to go back inside but she couldn't after agreeing to help Kasumi (who incidentally was acting as if Akane and Ranma's fight was the most normal thing in the world). So Kagome forced herself to focus on the laundry and ignore the pair, as well as the sick feeling in her stomach.

However a loud splash and a strangled yelp from Ranma made Kagome start watching again. Ranma leapt back out of the pond and perched himself on one of the rocks encasing the pool. "Aw! Look at whatch'ya did!" he said only, it came out higher pitched than Kagome was used too. But it couldn't have been Ranma, this person had deep red hair, not black. P-Chan was squealing like mad - Kagome could've sworn P-Chan was laughing at ... whoever it was. She put the shirt she was holding back into the basket and moved to stand by Akane. She studied this new person's face, it looked just like Ranma, only softer somehow? She hadn't really been watching too closely - it was possible someone else came without Kagome seeing. "Where's Ranma?" She asked softly. They both looked at her in surprise, stopping mid-argument. "Uhhh, Ranma? He's umm," The red-head couldn't seem to tell her. Akane rolled her eyes. "Get a grip Ranma, she's living with us, we can''t keep it from her - besides, I don't want to."  
"Oh! I have the problem but you're allowed to tell anyone as you please?"  
"This isn't like that! She's my cousin, and plus, the whole school knows - so she'll find out eventually anyway!" The red-head sighed in apparent defeat. Akane turned to Kagome who was now very confused, "You see Kagome, Ranma has this thing- whenever he comes into contact with cold water he...well he changes, this _is _Ranma." Kagome looked up at Ranma, it was easily believable. She just wasn't sure why he was making a big deal out of this though - so his hair changed colour (and his voice went a little pre-pubescent), she'd seen worse transformations. "Okay then. Why cold water?" Akane and Ranma looked at her confused. "You're okay with this? You don't worry that this isn't... normal?" Ranma asked slowly. "I've seen things you can't imagine," she told him in a slightly haunted tone of voice. Ranma and Akane met eyes for a second, conveying their concern to each other. "So it's not that big 'a deal," she continued, "You don't have it so bad anyway, you're just like one of those dolls." Ranma quirked an eyebrow. "What?" he demanded. "You know those Barbies that change hair colour? Just add water?" Ranma stared at her as if she were crazy. "Umm Kagome? Haven't you noticed?" Akane asked gently. "Noticed what?"  
"These." Ranma pointed to his chest. "Oh."  
"Oh? Is that it? I'm a fricking _girl_ when I'm supposed to be a boy! It's _not _fricking not that bad!"

_Another reason Ranma is like InuYasha; they're both only half something. _Kagome burst into hysterical laughter.

Akane was really worried about Kagome. First there was last night when she'd acted like Happosai was the most terrifying thing she'd ever seen, then she had completely blown off Ranma's change with an 'I've seen things you can't imagine' -what was that supposed to mean anyway?- next she was in hysterics. Doubled over with laughter and scaring P-Chan, who had jumped to the safety of her arms. Akane knelt down beside Kagome, placing P-Chan back on the ground. "Kagome?" Akane took hold of Kagome's shoulders gently, "Kagome, what's going on with you?"  
"It's just so ridiculous," she choked out between bouts of laughter. "What is?"  
"They're so alike, god I miss him so much." Kagome stopped laughing and burst into tears.  
"Who? Kagome, is it Gramps?" Akane was feeling completely out of her depth, she wasn't used to dealing with these things and obviously neither was Ranma as he'd gone inside to give them some degree of privacy. "No, not Gramps," Akane slid closer to Kagome and wrapped her arms around her. "Who is it then?" Akane prodded -but Kagome wouldn't say anymore, just continued crying into her cousins shoulder.


	5. Chapter 5 Once Upon a Time

_AN-Thank you to everyone for all the great reviews/feedback guys! Its much appreciated! to **CatgirlKitsune**, I'll try make longer chapters for you because god knows I won't be updating everyday - I don't even do my homework (then again a lot of people **don't** do that)...to **kyekye**, I'm glad to know that you are enjoying the story so much! And don't worry, I don't think they are going to end up very together...and to **Ayjah**, there are so many similarities between the lot of them- well I think it's kind of funny really. Slightly ironic for the purposes of this story...anyway,this chapter is going to have a lot flashbacks (just so you know), on with the story!_

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Chapter 5 - Once Upon A Time

**_It was awful, but she knew what she had to do. She couldn't live in the Feudal Era. What did she think was going to happen? That InuYasha was going to grow up in time for them to finally settle down? Have a family? As appealing as that fairytale sounded in her head - starting a family with the man she loved and living happily ever after - she knew it was a long shot. Then again she was only sixteen, and she had years before she would be actually ready to be popping out the kids - that would give her time to wear down the brick walls around InuYasha (more so than she already had)...wouldn't it? Then again it had already taken her a year to get them this far._**

Guilt. Kagome was drowning in it. She'd broken her promise to be strong. She'd been crying for something that was entirely her fault in the first place. She'd brought this on herself - now she had to bear the consequences with her chin held high. Kagome shifted in the warm recesses of her blankets and started crying again. The chin thing? She couldn't do it.

**_InuYasha was so much work, she'd only end up straining the relationship between them by trying to carry all his emotional baggage. Then okay, say she did manage to get through that, and InuYasha was the better, happier person he had the potential to be. Say they had a future together. What was going to happen then? She could visit her mother couldn't she? And get all the little things like medicines - but what would would happen if she were to get pregnant? What would the doctors do if her babies had dog ears like InuYasha's? What if they wanted to 'research' them? So then, she wouldn't go to the doctors and try to go it without the use of modern medicine. But what if she couldn't take her children through the well? What would that do to her mother, losing her grandchildren like that? And if they could go through, what if they wanted to live in the future? Kagome would lose her children and they'd have a hard time concealing what they were from the modern world. She knew without a doubt InuYasha wouldn't be able to live there. He was too careless and had no real education which meant that it would be difficult for him there. He wouldn't be able to do the things he loved - fight demons and throw his weight around namely. Not even racing through the forests, because there was so little of it. Buildings and farmland, were he'd be too easily seen. It was a miracle that he hadn't already been noticed. Except for that time when he saved that little girl, but that was proof enough._**

Her stomach growled and she realised she hadn't eaten breakfast yet. And it was probably after lunch by now. She couldn't go out there though, after her breakdown this morning she couldn't bear to face anyone. She'd just cried into Akane's shoulder for a while then went back to bed. Her stomach growled again and as if on cue Akane brought in a tray of food and placed it on the desk. "You'd better eat it quick, else one of the greedier people in this house will. You know if you want to talk I'm here okay?"  
"Thank-you." Kagome whispered.

**_So it obviously had to be one world or the other. She supposed could disappear from the one she'd grown up in. How would her family take it? She loved them so much, and she always started feeling homesick for them after a too-long stint in the past. And her friends? How would her family explain her disappearance? They could fake her death but she wasn't sure how that would work and she didn't want to grieve people unnecessarily. If she simply dissapeared without a trace then would police be called to investigate? She didn't want to put her family inthat kind of posistion. No matter how she looked at it, things weren't going to work for her and InuYasha, she had to be strong and take her future into her own hands. _**

She stopped crying long enough to eat the noodles Akane had brought her. When the dish triggered her memories of InuYashaYasha's love of ramen, she was a little teary but she _didn't_ feel like she was being ripped apart. This pleased her. However she still felt guilty; because of her InuYasha wouldn't be eating ramen anymore. For the first time she begun thinking not of how much she missed her friends, but if they missed _her_.

**_"Hey guys? I have something I need to say," Kagome began nervously. "Kagome? Is everything okay?" Sango was immediately worried for her friend. "Don't worry Kagome; just say whatever you need to. Go ahead and spit it out." Shippo encouraged her. "Well, you see I've been thinking a lot about, well, everything really, and I've realised that I can't stay. I'm going back to my time, and I'm not coming back." She finished in a rush. "I didn't mean for you to say that!" Shippo wailed. "You can't leave us Kagome!" She cradled Shippo close. "Kagome, this may be none of my business, but have you and InuYasha fought again?" Sango asked. "Where is the brute anyway?" Miroku wondered out loud, causing Sango to give him a sharp dig in the ribs. "Don't make things worse monk." Sango hissed. "No, we're fight free. It's hard to leave my world behind. If someone left this one, there's been a demon attack, a witch got them, bandits, fell down a cliff," Kagome sighed. "For me it's harder to just disappear, those sorts of explanations don't cut it. Besides, I have responsibilities there, obligations…and family." Sango nodded. She understood family. Miroku's features were grave. "If, Kagome, that is what you feel is best we have no choice but to support you. You will be sorely missed however." Sango nodded in agreement with Miroku's words. "How can you guys say that?" Shippo yelled. Kagome held onto him tightly as the group sat in silence. After a while Sango spoke. "Have you spoken with InuYasha yet?"_**

Kagome took her empty tray down to the kitchen. She couldn't remember the last time she'd finished a meal. "Oh! Kagome! Put your dishes on the sink, I was just about to wash up."  
"Let me help."  
"I'm fine dear, you go relax." Kagome nodded and drifted silently into the living room. Akane and Ranma seemed to be struggling through piles of homework and Nabiki was lazily flicking through the TV channels. Ranma gave her a nervous glance. "Hey Kagome!" Akane said smiling brightly at her. "Want me to go through all of this with you so you know what to expect for tomorrow?" Ranma stared at Akane incredulously. "School is probably the last thing-" Ranma stopped mid sentence, remembering Kagome was still in the room with them. "That's a good idea actually," said Kagome softly. "So, what do I need to know?" Ranma blinked in surprise.

**_"What?" InuYasha screamed. "You heard me." She looked away from him, doubting her decision now that it was time to go through with it. "Well yeah, but… no! You can't go!"  
"I've thought this through, and it's just not going to work, you have to understand InuYasha, I can't stay and I can't come back again."  
"I don't understand." He yelled. "I'm sorry but it has to be this way, every possibility, I've already thought it over. Every time it leads me to the same thing. I have to go."  
"If you go," InuYasha said quietly, not looking at her, "What will happen to…" He suddenly glared at her ferociously. "You know, if you go, how the hell am I going to get any ramen anymore?" A small part of Kagome knew he was just covering for what he had almost let slip. "Ramen? I'm leaving for good and you care about the ramen?" It was a very, very small part. "Was there something else?" he yelled back defiantly. Kagome took a deep breath, "Whatever, I'm not going to be dragged into this. I'm going, I'm sorry InuYasha." To prove it she reached over, took the rosary off his neck and placed it in his hands._**

For once Kagome was an active part of the dinner conversation. She realised that she was actually enjoying herself, she felt freer than she had in a long time. Once dinner had ended Nabiki sprung another question about the Shikon Jewel on her again. Even Kasumi stayed to see how she would react. Kagome shrugged. "I told you before; it's nothing, just a cheap trinket." She replied casually, making certain to emphasise the word cheap. "I still think it looks like an expensive trinket." Happosai cleared his throat. "Ladies, please. It is obvious what it is." He turned to Kagome with a knowing smirk, "It's the Shikon Jewel."

**_Kagome was heart broken. Today was her last day in the Feudal Era. She'd made all her good byes, given hugs and kisses all around. She had even threatened to summon up a spirit to watch that Miroku treated Sango right - or else. She didn't think she could actually do it, and she knew he didn't believe so either but the message had been clear and he'd vowed to cherish Sango all his life. Sango had blushed at that. But the one person she'd wanted to see the most wasn't there. She hadn't seen InuYasha since she'd told him she was leaving, two days prior. Shippo had run after her as she made her way to the well alone. "Shippo, I love you too but you're making this harder for me. If you come with me now, I won't be able to do this, and it's very important that I do."  
"Good!" Shippo exclaimed, before turning away feeling embarrassed. "I didn't mean that."  
"Yes you did." Shippo thought a moment. "Yes I did." He agreed. "But that's not what I meant to say." Kagome knelt so she was closer to his height. "I wanted you to promise that you'll stay strong." Kagome looked at him curiously and Shippo looked away, embarrassed again. It was an odd request, she reflected, to come from a child. But then, Shippo had shown, time and time again, that he had a maturity a lot of other children didn't. It came from being orphaned so cruelly she supposed. "I promise." Kagome's voice was soft. Shippo stared at something in the distance for a moment, before shifting uncomfortably on the spot. "You have to promise to be strong."  
"I did." Said Kagome, surprised and confused. "No, you have to say it."  
"Oh." Kagome fixed Shippo with a serious gaze and placed her hand over her heart. "I swear that I'll always stay strong." Shippo bit his lip, his gaze drifted again and he seemed to be deep in thought. "It'll do." He conceded. He kissed Kagome on the cheek briefly, turned tail and ran. Kagome stared after the fox kit, wondering what'd just happened. She made it back to the well as slowly as she could, to give InuYasha time to say goodbye. He never came. With one last look at her surroundings Kagome jumped through the well._**


	6. Chapter 6 Telling Signs

_AN-Sorry, this took a while, but schools started up again. Even with my stubborn policy of 'No Homework' that's still six hours of the day when I'm not wasting away in front of the computer. LIFE... I reeaaally need to get me one of those...anyway, thank-you for all the great reviews, I hope you find all the answers you are looking for in this chapter. Next chapter I'm hoping to introduce some more characters and hopefully a blast from the past or two. Blast from the past...ever wonder who came up with that? P.S I'm sorry if there's too much of the explaining of things you already know, I just need to get it out there so the characters are more up to date._

Chapter 6 - Telling Signs

Kagome tried to take a deep, steady, calming breath - but she panicked and ended up choking instead. Kasumi hurried into the kitchen and brought back a glass of water. Taking it gratefully she turned to Happosai.

"What makes you say that?" Kagome tried to make her voice sound casual while really her heart was racing.

"Well, it's obvious." Kagome stared at him in disbelief. "It's one of the legends surrounding the Higurashi Shrine," he added for the benefit of the others.

"Well what's the legend then?" Akane asked.

"The Shikon Jewel was created from the powers of an extraordinary priestess and a fearsome demon during an epic battle between the two. It was said to bestow the owner with power beyond compare, but of course power corrupts and in its wake left terrible destruction. Eventually it was given to a priestess of note for protection."

"And now Kagome has it?" Ranma looked at her oddly. "You're a priestess?"

"Yeah, I mean no! I'm not! This isn't the Shikon Jewel!"

"But he just said-"

Happosai laughed. "Well of course it's not boy, the real one was burned with the priestess on her funeral pyre, hundreds of years ago." Kagome was flooded with relief at Happosai's assumption. "I myself have many Shikon Jewels," he continued, producing a handful of those Shikon key chains her grandfather used to sell.

"When did you go the shrine?" asked Kagome.

"Oh, some time ago, I believe your grandfather mentioned you were in the hospital at the time." Meanwhile Ranma adopted a 'you people are pathetic' expression.

"Is that all you two are freaking out about? Some fake jewel that only represents one that got all burned up? Sounds like a lame legend to me."

"What like the legend of the Drowned Girl?" Akane retorted bitingly.

Kagome was pissed off. The Shikon Jewel was _not_ some lame legend. "The Shikon Jewel is not just some lame legend!" Kagome yelled at Ranma, receiving shocked stares from all around. Blushing, Kagome looked down at the table. "There was a love interest." She said meekly.

"Just like a girl to remember the romantic crap."

"Ranma! Be polite boy!" Mr. Saotome admonished.

"That's right son," her Uncle added, "Good things come of love. Weddings for one thing." When Akane and Ranma both turned icy glares on him, Kagome felt as if she'd missed something important.

Kasumi ignored them both and turned to Kagome. "You said something about a love interest?" Kasumi sounded genuinely interested and something about her soft, kind expression made Kagome want to tell them her story.

"Well, yeah. The priestess who was given the Jewel met this guy. He was handsome and brave and good though he was kinda rough around the edges. And he had these adorable ears and he was really strong though he didn't really believe it." Kagome picked up speed, getting into her story telling role. "Anyway at first he wanted the Jewel so he could become stronger-"

"Wait, I thought he was a good guy," Interrupted Ranma.

"He was! He only wanted it because he didn't fit in anywhere, he was all alone." Kagome's eyes filled up. He was all alone again because of her. Suddenly remembering where she was, Kagome wiped her eyes with the palm of her hand and launched back into her story. "But then so was the priestess so they formed a close friendship and fell in love."

"It's not getting any better." Ranma mumbled. Akane whacked him over the head as she eyed her cousin worriedly.

"And then?" she prompted.

"Meanwhile the priestess had found this man who was so badly injured that he couldn't move. All his bones were broken and covered in horrible burns. He was pure evil. Because the priestess was good she hid him in a cave and nursed him. He fell for the priestess and he wanted her and the jewel for himself-"

"This priestess musta've been something." Kagome glared at Ranma.

"She was okay I guess." She replied icily. "Anyway, he called on a horde of demons and sold them his soul in return for their strength. The priestess was an excellent shot with a bow and arrow and had never let a demon best her before, so the new demon disguised himself as InuYasha so he could get close enough to get the Jewel. He was also insanely jealous of InuYasha so pretending to be him was like two birds with one-"

"InuYasha? Who is that?" Kagome froze. She hadn't even noticed she said his name - not once, but twice even. She hadn't said his name in a year, and then suddenly...there it was, hanging in the air like a gathering storm.

"Um, the half-demon. If you'll excuse me, I'm really tired and so I want to go to bed."

"Wait the half demon? Which one's that?" Ranma was thoroughly confused by now. With everyone's attention on Kagome, no-one noticed Nabiki slip one of the key chains into her pocket.

Kagome got ready for bed quickly. In the dark she began crying for what felt like the thousandth time. She was so sick of crying. Feeling pathetic, Kagome decided she'd have to try harder at being strong.

The next morning, Kagome silently followed the bickering Ranma and Akane to her new school. It felt a little strange to be going to school, and not be wearing her usual 'sailor' uniform. She tugged at the borrowed blue dress she wore. It was a little loose around the waist and Kagome frowned. Maybe that was why she worried everyone so much. She hadn't realised her weight loss had been that dramatic - she and Nabiki had been a perfect match, Akane being shorter than her.

On the way they passed Dr. Tofu's office and an age long memory stirred within Kagome. For once she welcomed it. "Hey Akane!" she called, dragging her cousin's attention from Ranma. "That was Dr. Tofu's right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Oh nothing. I was just remembering stuff." Kagome gave Akane a sly look. "I thought you were growing your hair?" Though Kagome had to admit, the short hair was really cute on her. Akane flushed with embarrassment. Ranma laughed from atop the metal fencing which he was walking along.

"Hey, I had nearly forgotten about that stupid crush of yours, hah! And you Akane," Ranma began speaking in a horrible imitation of Akane's voice. "Oh! I have to have _long_ hair, otherwise Dr. Tofu will _never_ love me!"

Kagome looked sheepishly at Akane when the girl turned a furious gaze on her. "Hey, I didn't know he knew, I tried to be subtle." Akane let her off with a shrug.

"It doesn't mater anyway, he's too in love with Kasumi and I think she likes him back. I couldn't do that to her even if I had a chance with him." Akane was secretly glad Kagome asked about it. Not for the embarrassing memories of course, but because it was the most Kagome-like Kagome had acted since she'd come. If it weren't for her too-thin face Akane could've sworn that she had the old Kagome back.

"So why did you cut your hair?"

"Oh, it wasn't on purpose. Ryoga and Ranma were fighting and it accidentally got chopped off."

"When? Who's Ryoga?"

"Shortly after Ranma and I got engaged I think, Ryoga and Ranma are old rivals but he's a good friend."

"Huh, you know I had to fight this demon who wanted to chop off my hair shortly after I met -" Kagome caught herself before she said anything else. She got curious looks from the other teens. Then something Akane said finally sunk in and she heard Mr. Tendo's voice in her mind..._good things come of love..._"Engaged? You and Ranma are engaged and you didn't tell me?" Kagome felt the most excited she had felt in a long time. She had already noticed that they liked each other - it was blaringly obvious - and to top it off there was an engagement? This was as good as the time Miroku proposed to Sango.

"We're not engaged! Well, not really!" Ranma was suddenly very annoyed. So was Akane.

"It wasn't my idea! It's all our fathers faults! Believe me, I'd rather not have anything to do with a stubborn jerk like him." Ranma jumped down from the fence to face Akane.

"Oh yeah? Well I'd give anything to not be engaged to an un-cute, barrel-waisted, tomboy like you!" Kagome considered herself an expert on relationships after all that she'd gone through (and what she'd seen others go through) in the past. She could instantly tell that the both of them were just being defensive. But Ranma's insult had actually hurt her cousin and where did he get off on that?

"Look here mister! Akane's the best you'll ever have so you better not be treating her with anything but respect! You hear?" Akane smiled. Kagome was really back.

Ranma looked a little afraid of the girl with the intense mood-swings.

"Uh...but we're not...you know." _Sure you're not, _Kagome thought. She knew the signs. The pair reminded her of InuYasha and herself in fact. Always with the un-necessary yelling. Kagome flipped her hair imperiously and moved past Ranma, Akane by her side.

"So, it's like an arranged marriage?" Kagome asked.

"Something about carrying on the Tendo Dojo and the School of Anything Goes Martial Arts."

"Huh."

Kagome had spent the rest of the walk to school trying to convince herself that the new school would be a piece of cake. It wasn't like she didn't know anybody and she was pretty confident that she was in a good place academically.

But once she'd met someone called Kuno, she started fearing what the rest of the school would be like.

"Tatewaki Kuno, age seventeen, nicknamed the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!" Proclaimed the tall brunette. Ranma kicked him in the stomach.

"Ranma! That was mean!" Kagome was horrified. Sure she was no newbie to violence, but the boy on the ground didn't seem to have done anything wrong. She reached out a hand to help Kuno up and Akane for some reason, tried to stop her. She found out why when Kuno had leapt up and swept her into his arms.

"Scoundrel that I am," Kuno cried out dramatically, "In my arms is yet another fair maiden whose heart I have stolen!" Kagome struggled to get free. The guy was obviously crazed and he spoke like his life was a Shakespearean play. "Never fear sweet girl, for I shall not let Ranma Saotome get the best of me again! Knowing I have the love of such a pretty face...uh...what did you say your name was?"

"Let go of her Kuno! Kagome's no business of yours!" Ranma stood with his feet apart and his hands fisted menacingly. Kagome was let go of and she brushed herself off, feeling dirtied somehow. She'd placed Kuno in the category of 'Creep' and she'd only known him five minutes. Ranma set upon Kuno with a series of quick, brutal blows which had his long plait whipping around crazily as he moved. Ignoring the now quivering heap that was Kuno, Kagome thanked Ranma for coming to her defence. "It's nothing, besides, I like beating the crap outta that pervert." Something in Ranma's voice made Kagome think there was more going on between the two of them.

In first period English she'd met the insane teacher Miss Hinako, only to find that she'd be subbing for the gym teacher during second period. Kagome was stunned to find they'd be learning archery that lesson. Not to mention a couple ones after that. She absently twirled the bow she'd been handed, wondering how she should play this. It might seem weird that she was able to handle a bow and arrow expertly when the other students ranged from horrible to average. Ranma was slightly above average, but then again he was some amazing martial artist. Kagome supposed it came with the territory.

"Hey what's Nabiki doing here?" Akane asked from behind her in the line. Kagome looked to her right to see Nabiki leaning against a building in the distance. Kagome could see that Nabiki was watching the group intently, but she didn't know what it was the older girl expected. Maybe she was watching to see if Kagome was going to break down again.

The thought filled Kagome with disgust and she felt more pathetic than she had last night. If she was going to follow up on her decision to be strong, she needed to show the people around her that she didn't need their support. She had to get back on her own two feet. With that in mind Kagome intended to do what she could. It couldn't hurt as it wasn't like they were scared arrows, and she could always say that she'd learnt at her old school. But Kagome couldn't help wishing she did have her sacred arrows, as she fitted the arrow she held to the bow and aimed.

Kagome took a deep breath and silently prayed her arrow would hit the bull's eye. She drew her arm back and let her arrow fly. She heard whispers all around her and looking closely at her soaring arrow, she went cold. Everything went into slow motion then. The pure, blue light that emanated from her arrow grew with the distance. It curved neatly through the air before finally embedding itself deeply within the bull's eye of her target. For a moment nothing happened, but then the target disintegrated and her arrow dropped to the ground. It was silent and Kagome blushed as she saw the awed looks sent her way.

"What was that?" Kagome shrugged at Akane.

"I dunno, I had no idea I could do that..." she replied without conviction. After that Kagome was very careful to deflect both questions and any turns at shooting an arrow. Miss Hinako who'd changed into a child couldn't do much to force her to participate either.

"So, what's with Miss Hinako?" Kagome asked Akane during lunch. "She fall in a cursed pond of drowned child or something?" Kagome had recently learnt that that was how Ranma had gotten cursed; he'd fallen into a pond where years ago a girl had drowned. Apparently there were millions of cursed ponds around there. The spot also happened to be a martial arts training ground and the irony was not lost on Kagome.

"No, she just turns into a child when she's tired and stuff, then she uses something circular and sucks out the energy from other people so she gets older again." Sayuri, a friend of Akane's, informed her.

"Oh. Well who's that girl talking to Ranma?" She asked next. The girl was wearing the boy's uniform, which was odd enough in itself but what was stranger were her choice in accessories. On a strap around her body she carried about five small spatulas and another giant one on her back. _It was kind of like Sango's Hirakotsu._

Akane got a strange expression on her face, like she was suffering many different emotions at once. "She's Ranma's fiancée." She said shortly. When she didn't offer anymore explanations Kagome looked to Sayuri again.

"Her father and Ranma's arranged their marriage so he could eat basically, and so now Ukyo's come back to town looking to Ranma to uphold the promise." Kagome groaned - Genma Saotome was worse than the opportunist Miroku. About to ask for more details, Kagome was cut short when Nabiki strode into the room carrying a large, dusty tome.

With a resounding _bang_! The heavy book was droped onto the desk in front of Kagome. "Page 314." Nabiki told her. Apprehensively she turned the yellow, crackling pages till she found the one she was supposed to be looking for.

An entire chapter devoted to the legend of the Shikon Jewel. Kagome found breathing was becoming increasingly difficult. Ranma had moved to read over her shoulder, as did Akane. In fact all the students in the class had stopped to watch.

"I know what you are Kagome. Did you think I wouldn't find out the truth? You know me better surely."

* * *


	7. Chapter 7 Touchy Subjects

Chapter 7 - Touchy Subjects

Chapter 7 - Touchy Subjects

"How much?" Kagome screamed as she slammed the book shut. Nabiki smirked.

"Why don't we talk more privately, hmm?" Kagome gathered the book up and followed Nabiki outside the classroom.

When Nabiki gave her a price, Kagome's eyes grew wide with horror. "That much?"

"Hey, it's a powerful secret. There are a lot of people out there who'd be desperate to get their hands on it." Nabiki looked thoughtful for a moment. "Besides, without your boyfriend InuYasha, how are you going to defend it against the evil hordes?"

Kagome felt faint hearing his name spoken so blatantly. "H-how do you know about him?"

"You told us yourself, and the book told me the rest. Except for the boyfriend part." Nabiki's smirk grew more pronounced. "But you should've seen the look you got on your face when you were talking about him."

Kagome blushed. Had she been that obvious? Well of course she had. Kagome stared out the window for a minute. Nabiki was right. She did have a powerful secret. Her arrows weren't enough and without InuYasha's strength, her secrecy had been the only thing protecting herself and the jewel. Kagome handed over her money.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you, you'll be making these payments weekly."

For the rest of the day, Kagome was utterly depressed. She stared miserably at the ground and moped. Akane was worried. Whatever Nabiki had done, it hadn't helped Kagome at all. Akane took a deep breath and steadied herself for what she was about to do.

"So wanna hear about the rest of Ranma's fiancées?" Akane had been right. That did take Kagome's attention off the ground.

"He has more fiancées?" Kagome choked out.

"Uh-huh. Two more besides Ukyo and I. There's Shampoo and Kodachi Kuno."

"Shampoo? What kind of name is that? And Kodachi _Kuno_? As in sister of that creep from this morning?"

"Shampoo's Chinese," she said, like that explained everything. "And yes little sister Kuno."

Kagome looked disgusted. "Why the hell do you put up with that? I couldn't even handle one dead-" Kagome stopped abruptly before starting again. "How did he get engaged to those two? Don't tell me he actually likes someone else!" _I sound like Eri and Yuka, _she thought.

"Shampoo is a Chinese Amazon Warrior - Ranma defeated her in a fight so now according to law she has to marry him. Kodachi is just crazy. She thinks Ranma and girl Ranma are two different people so she gets all jealous of Ranma when he's a girl." Akane looked at her cousin, congratulating herself on her ingenious idea. No matter how much she herself hated talking about it. "Come to think of it, Kuno - guy Kuno- is the same. He's in love with girl Ranma, calls her 'The Pigtailed Girl' and he's completely jealous of guy Ranma."

"You're right. This is completely screwed up," Kagome agreed, now knowing why it was Ranma seemed to hate Kuno so much.

Kagome and Akane came home to find a panda sitting in the middle of the living room, quite happily working his way through a mountain of food. Kagome started laughing. "I don't think I'm going to get used to that anytime soon. He looks ridiculous."

The panda held up a sign. 'You try falling in a cursed spring then. Lets see how you like it.'

"Sorry, Mr. Saotome," Kagome said, still laughing. Beside her Akane was frowning.

"Where'd you get that food?" The panda held up another sign. 'From the lovely people at the Cat Café.'

Akane exploded. "From Shampoo? And I don't suppose you paid for any of it? What did you promise her then?"

'A date with Ranma of course! He's out with her now!'

"I knew it!" Akane yelled. Kagome got struck with a brilliant idea.

"Well then lets go Akane! We can't just let this Shampoo get all over him!"

"Sure we can. It's not like I wanna marry the jerk." Kagome rolled her eyes. That definitely explained her little tantrum before then - not.

'Go get your man.'

Akane growled at the panda shaped man. Kagome pulled on her arm and dragged her out of the house. "Hey! Let go!"

"Aw, come on! Don't spoil my fun!" Akane relented. If it made Kagome happy…the things she did for the sake of family.

Akane led the way to the Cat Café; it was a good as place as any to start the search for Shampoo and Ranma. A shrivelled old woman, about the size of Happosai (which was about the equivalent of a two-year old) hobbled their way. "Miss Tendo, you ought to leave Ranma and Shampoo alone, let them be happy together." Akane's expression was murderous. But instead of yelling like Kagome expected, Akane just introduced her to the woman through gritted teeth.

"This is Cologne, Shampoo's grandmother. This is Kagome, my cousin."

Throwing an amused look Akane's way, Kagome spoke up. "Nice to meet you, and we're not going to interfere, I just really want to meet Ranma's fiancée!" she lied.

"Hmmm, well they're at the mall if you have to know. But don't get in their way."

"Wouldn't dream of it! Bye!" She tugged Akane from the café.

The two girls raced to the local mall. Kagome had to admit, this was a lot more fun than sitting around crying. It'd been a long time since she'd done anything that wasn't schoolwork, and it was incredibly refreshing.

Ranma and Shampoo were sitting in the food court, drinking milkshakes at one of the plastic tables. Shampoo was grinning like a Cheshire cat and chatted away, while Ranma poked at his drink with a straw and made non-committal noises.

Kagome smiled at Akane. "See! He isn't interested in her!"

"But he's there isn't he?" Akane looked doubtful.

"Doesn't mean he doesn't want to be. I've agreed to dates I didn't actually want to go to." Thinking about it now, she realised that she'd been a bit unfair to Hojo. Kagome wrinkled her nose. It hadn't been her fault…if her friends hadn't kept setting her up than she would never have strung him along like that. If he hadn't been quite so dense either.

Kagome turned back to where Ranma and shampoo were to see they'd gone. She stepped away from the pillar they had been hiding behind to search for them frantically. Catching a glimpse of Shampoo's long, bright hair, she led Akane around the corner of a shop. With Akane following her obediently, Kagome ducked into a clothes shop. She stood just behind the metal doorframe and peeked her head around so she could watch. Akane did the same - making an angry noise when Shampoo threw her arms around Ranma and kissed him.

Kagome could tell that Ranma wasn't really enjoying the kiss, but knowing Akane, she'd have a hard time selling the idea. She placed a comforting hand on her cousins arm. "I know it looks bad but don't worry over it - this is all Shampoo." Akane looked crushed anyway.

"Let's just go home." The girl's voice sounded so defeated that Kagome felt bad. She was acting just the same as Kagome had when she'd found InuYasha with his precious, dead priestess.

Kagome nodded and walked out of the shop - and straight into Ranma.

"Agh! Akane! Um, what…what are you doing here?" Ranma seemed terrified, and Kagome thought she knew why. She replied for her cousin who was just staring at the ground.

"Oh hey Ranma! We were just shopping, but we're about to go home."

"Oh." He shifted uncomfortably and Shampoo glared at Kagome.

"Who are you?"

"Kagome! I'm Akane's cousin, you must be Shampoo, I've heard so much about you."

"Like how me and Ranma get married? We much in love." Shampoo's words were accompanied with a smug smile and a pointed look in Akane's direction. Kagome was left in no doubt that the kiss had been a free show for Akane.

"Doesn't look that way to me." Kagome took Akane home.

After dinner Kagome lay by the pond, watching the stars. She felt awful. She knew from experience how awful Akane must be feeling right now. Ranma slammed the porch door - shutting P-Chan in the house and himself out. Kagome sat up. Ranma saw her and came to sit by her side.

"What's with the pig?" She asked.

"Trying to kill me for Akane's sake. She saw Shampoo kiss me, didn't she?"

"It was quite the eye-full. I tried explaining that it didn't mean anything on your part but I don't think she got it. Sorry."

Ranma's eyes widened. "What are you apologising to me for? It's not like I care or anything!"

"Yeah right. You two are so in love."

"I don't love her!'" he yelled. Ranma looked away for moment, thinking. "You think she loves me?" He asked shyly. Kagome laughed.

"See? You just proved it! You love Akane so just admit it."

"No I don't."

"Oh come on, I'm not going to start telling people, and I won't tell Akane either if that's what you want. Besides which, I'm an expert at these things, you should be begging for my help."

"Your help? When did I say I wanted help?"

"I thought it. So, do you love her or not? I know the truth so you can't lie to me."

"If you know the truth then I don't need to say it."

"Yes you do. If you can't admit it to a third party, how are you ever going to sort through your problems? Let alone tell Akane?" If only InuYasha could've been a bit more honest, with her and himself. Then maybe…but whatever the case she wasn't going to let her cousin end up miserable like she did. She felt determined to see Akane and Ranma blissfully in love before she went home.

Ranma looked furious and terrified at the same time. He took a deep breath. "I love Akane." He flinched and brought his hands up to protect his face. After a moment he opened his eyes again and lowered his hands. He blinked. "I…I said it and …I'm okay! None of those freaks trilled to kill me for one…" _Kill him? Does he mean his other fiancées? _Kagome disregarded his comment and applauded him.

"Good boy! So, where to start?" Ranma looked apprehensive. "Right! First of all stop insulting her, you can be nice to her without her knowing you're in love with her. You don't have to act so defensive."

"I'm not defensive."

"Yes you are, and a hypocrite to boot." Kagome chewed on a nail, thinking. "You can't-" Kagome was cut short when a boy came running to attack Ranma.

"Damn you Ranma Saotome! You are such a jerk!" He swung wildly at Ranma, who dodged easily. "How dare you toy with Akane's feelings like that?"

"What makes you think I did anything?" Ranma kicked the other boy's legs out from under him.

"It's always your fault!" The boy leapt back up and punched Ranma in the stomach.

"You don't know what you're talking about Ryoga!" Ranma flipped back, out of reach while he caught his breath. Kagome stood silently, watching the boy's fight. It was like watching Koga and InuYasha fight over her.

"I know what I saw! Akane crying over you, you half-man!" It was exactly like watching InuYasha and Koga in fact.

"Me? A half-man? You're one to talk!" Ranma leapt through the air to land a kick directly in the middle of his opponent's chest - which sent Ryoga flying into the pond. A few seconds later a pig resurfaced.

"P-Chan?" screamed Kagome. Akane's beloved pet piglet; the one she cuddled to her chest, took with her to bed and kept with her while she dressed … was a cursed teenaged boy? "You perverted creep!" Ryoga the pig squealed.

Ranma snorted. "It's about time someone besides me realised it." Ryoga made a sound that may have been a threat before running away. Back into the house to Kagome's displeasure.

"How long have you known about that?" Kagome demanded.

"Since Akane adopted the freak."

"And you haven't done anything to protect her?"

"Well, it's complicated, when I try then Akane attacks me and I can't tell her that P-Chan and Ryoga are the same."

"Why not?"

"He won't let me tell and it's not my secret."

Kagome was furious - surely her cousin was more important than some creep's pride. But Akane would die of embarrassment if she ever found out…maybe there was a way for her to get rid of Ryoga without Akane finding out.


	8. Chapter 8 Training Sessions

_**AN**-I am sooo sorry! This took ages! Things have been kinda weird for me - first it was exam week, then lots of varying types of confusingness with my friends, then **MAJOR** writers block, then parental problems (well actaully, they had the problems, but as usual I was caught up in it) but then there was **AVATAR**! And **Oh MY FREAKING GOD!** Season three is so fawesome! That finale was like wow! **I LOVE ZUKO**! The Western Air Temple was soo funny...I love awkward happier Zuko. And then **OMG** with Azula and Mai and Ty Lee cus Ty Lee was all! And because Mai was all! over Zuko! Stopping ranting now. Anyway, I apologise again for the long wait, next chapter I intend to bring back some plot lines that have disappeared over the past few chapters. Oh! I keep forgetting to do this : A while back i was invited to join the staff of a community, but I declined. I just wanted to says thanks for the invintation - it's just, at heart I'm a InuYasha and Kagome girl, all the way (so I'm not entirely sure why I keep dragging them apart) but thanks anyway! And thanks to the reviewers for all their support, please keep telling me what you think - be it good or bad! Thanks (and sorry) again!_

* * *

Chapter 8 - Training Sessions

_**"Ranma! How dare you treat P-Chan like that?" Akane and gathered her pet in her arms. "Oh you poor baby, mommy will take care of nasty Ranma for you." She rocked the piglet against her chest like a baby.**_

_**"Damn it Akane! How can you - ugh, whatever! I'm outta here!" Ranma stalked off and Akane sat back down in the living room with Kagome.**_

_**"He's always so mean to my poor P-Chan."**_

_**"He's just jealous - isn't he P-Chan? You adorable little thing you," Kagome fondly scratched P-Chan behind the ears. "Always getting all the attention."**_

_**Akane blushed, "Why would he be jealous of a pig? He's more pathetic than I thought! Well, that's assuming he actually does get jealous over me. You're ridiculous."**_

_**"And you're blind."**_

_**"I'm not! Anyway, I'm going to take a bath now." Akane crooned at the piglet and kissed it's nose. "Are you coming to take a nice hot bath with mommy, P-Chan?" P-Chan streaked out of Akane's arms and down the hallway. "I guess not…" said Akane, puzzled.**_

"Have you got any idea of how betrayed she'd feel?" Kagome glared angrily at the wall. "She'd be mortified! Akane's the decent sort, she's innocent and…modest! She's modest and … and, and you've been all over her! It's disgusting!"

A low moan sounded from behind her. "I know, I don't deserve her, but really I never meant any harm!"

"Of course you didn't think about how this would affect her, which is why we're in this mess."

"I did! I always think about her, I don't deserve her, I know I don't. She's too good for me; I'm nothing but a pathetic half-man." It was the half that softened her towards the dejected boy in the bathtub. He sounded far too much like a dejected half-demon.

"Fine. Keep acting like a pet. But," Kagome paused, putting lots of stress on that little word, "There's going to be rules."

#

Kagome's head pounded from her stressful morning conversation, and it didn't look like her day was going to get any better. This was because Kuno had decided that she wanted to be added to his list of 'lovers'.

"Kagome Higurashi!" Ranma and Akane froze, exchanging concerned looks.

"What do you want?" she snapped. Kagome was in no mood to deal with Kuno.

"I merely wanted to ask that this Friday you accompany me on date."

"I'm sorry, but I only date … swordsmen," she said, thinking of InuYasha and his Tetsusaiga.

"Hah! Well I'll have you know that I am a master of the sword!" From seemingly nowhere, he whipped out a sword and waved it manically above his head. "They do not call me Blue Thunder for nothing!"

Kagome spun to face her cousin. "Why was I not informed?" But then something within Kagome's mind went _click_! She'd already done what she could about Ryoga's crush on Akane, and now here was the perfect opportunity to do something about Kuno's crush on Akane _and _Ranma. With a devious plot in mind, she ignored her cousin to smile sweetly at Kuno. "Well, can you perform the Wind Scar?"

Kuno froze in place. "The…Wind Scar?"

"Yes, it's an extremely powerful sword technique that only the most capable can accomplish. Can you do it?"

"Uh…can't…say I can…" Kuno at least had the decency to look ashamed.

"Oh." Kagome sighed and turned away from him slightly. "I can't date you unless you can perform the Wind Scar." She sighed again, like his incapability was the saddest thing in the world.

"Kagome!" Kuno leapt forward and took her hands in his, so fast that she almost expected him to call her 'his woman'. "If I can perform this technique, will you date me then?"

"Would you do that for me?" Her eyes shone.

"Just tell me, what must I do to learn this technique?" He was getting uncomfortably close, but hell. If she could convince two terrifying lightning demons into letting her live, she could do this for sure. The problem was however, was he stupid enough to believe her? She remembered InuYasha telling her about some stupid errands Totosai made him do once, that he'd mistaken for training. "Please Kagome! Tell me!" Why the hell was she worried? Of course he was stupid enough.

"First you have to be pure of heart. You must take a purifying bath and cleanse your mind of any perverted thoughts. And you have to be devoted to me; you must swear to use your powers to protect me always." She looked up at him seriously, as one of her hands moved behind her back with two fingers crossed.

Kuno looked torn for a moment, as if weighing his options. Eventually he came to a decision. "I can do this. Fear not sweet Kagome, soon we shall be together!" Kagome internally cringed. Akane owed her. Ranma owed her. Maybe she could call dibs on godmother rights.

The moment Kuno left, Akane pounced on her. "What did you just do? Do you actually want him around?"

"No. I just made a bunch of stuff up - I was curious to see how much he'd believe is all."

Akane wasn't convinced. Kagome didn't toy around with people - she was a very straightforward person. However, there wasn't much she could do. The damage was done and the consequences would just have to be dealt with when they came. So, sighing, Akane put the event down as another manifestation of Kagome's emotional problems. Behind Akane's back, Kagome sent a big wink in Ranma's direction, and he blushed as he realised what she was up to.

Ranma sped to class pretty quick after that, and Kagome was left trailing slowly behind Akane.

_**She could feel that hot prickling sensation behind her eyes, which told her she was crying. InuYasha looked horrified. "Don't cry!"**_

_**"Oh? Should I be laughing instead?"**_

_**"No! You should shut up and let me protect you!"**_

_**Then later, by the river. "InuYasha, do you want me to tell you how to use the Tetsusaiga?" She'd asked him. "…Well do you promise to protect me forever?" **_

Using the heel of her palm she rubbed away the forming tears.

#

Over the next couple of days Kagome watched the three boys like a hawk watching its prey. The second they disobeyed her, she would unleash her temper on them. It had proved a useful tool in teaching them proper etiquette - that and painful reminders.

"What did you say?" Akane looked at Ranma in disbelief.

"Jeez, I just asked if you wanted any help." Ranma felt something hard hit his ankle and he grunted at the sharp pain. He glared at Kagome, who was innocently playing knucklebones on the other side of the dojo.

"I'm not incompetent!"

"Well you sure as hell aren't showing it!" Another shooting pain in his ankle.

"You jerk!" Another knucklebone found contact.

"I mean, that's not what I meant!"

Akane raised a delicate eyebrow at him. "Oh? Enlighten me then."

"I don't think you're incompetent." Kagome coughed. "So, I'm sorry," Ranma choked out. "I just thought maybe I could teach you that pattern."

"Sorry? What's gotten into you lately?" Akane's expression took a less defensive edge. "But, I guess, I wouldn't mind you teaching me."

Kagome's small victory was short-lived however, as the next moment, none other than Kuno, burst through the Dojo doors. Groaning, she reached for the headless mop she'd taken to carrying around with her – especially for Kuno's training as he was far too dense for discreet things like knucklebones. But, with Kuno, the insane was expected so it wasn't like she stood out too much carrying it around – which was good.

As she readied herself for Kuno's next lesson, the other three teens had frozen in place, staring at each other. Kuno's gaze traveled slowly over Akane's pose – and Ranma's, one arm pressed lightly against Akane's outstretched one, hand lightly grasping her wrist while the other arm encircled her waist.

Akane followed Kuno's gaze, and blushed. She squirmed in Ranma's grip, but he only tightened his hold and glowered at Kuno.

Several tense, silent moments passed. Kuno frowned. He blinked. He opened his mouth to say something, only to close it after a few seconds of nothing. Kagome announced her presence with a slight cough.

To everyone's amazement, Kuno shrugged and strode to Kagome's side. "Kagome my sweet blossom," he crooned, "I have come to escort you to the six 'o' clock showing of 'Night of the Screaming Terrors'."

Kagome sighed. "Have you learnt the wind scar yet?"

Kuno's expression was momentarily sour. "Sadly…no…but! I have taken great pains to cleanse myself my love, and I wanted the opportunity to show you how devoted I am!" He stood with his feet spread wide and one arm punched in the air. Kagome could just see the fire in his eyes, the flames dancing along to the words; 'It's the eye of the tiger…'

Huffing, she stood and casually brushed off her jeans. Things were looking good with Ranma and Akane – they deserved some time alone without having to worry about her state of mind. Though, considering she was about to agree to a date with _Kuno_, of all people, they might just worry anyway. She couldn't blame them for that either. Several hours alone with the pervert…well, she was doing this for the sake of _their_ relationship. The list of things they owed her just kept growing.

"Wait outside the front door, and I'll meet you in ten minutes." Kagome smiled sweetly at the astonished pair in the centre of the Dojo floor. "You two be good now," she teased as she left the room.

Akane caught Ranma's eye, and blushing, they both jumped away from each other.

#

Akane, panting and sweating, collapsed against the wooden wall. "What time is it?" she gasped as Ranma handed her a water bottle.

He didn't answer her question, but instead smirked at her teasing, "What? Couldn't keep up?"

She glared at him. "Oh, like it was all so easy for you." She chucked a towel at his head. He shrugged and mopped off the sweat from his face. He stretched his arms back before moving to sit beside her. Akane bit her lip, her cheeks dusted with pink. "So…the time?"

Ranma looked at her for a moment, clearly too lost in his own thoughts too fully understand what she was saying. "Time for what?"

"No, what time is it?" She rolled her eyes.

"Hell if I know. What'cha want to know for anyway?"

"I'm just wondering when Kagome is going to be back."

"Does it matter?" Akane punched him lightly on the arm to which he muttered a light "Stupid violent chick," under his breath.

Pointedly ignoring his comment Akane continued. "It's just…she's on a date with Kuno, don't tell me you're not worried either. There's no way that's possible."

"She's nice I guess." Ranma sighed. "Okay, maybe a little worried." Akane gave him a curious look. "What? You're the one who insisted I liked her in the first place."

Akane turned from him. "It's nothing," she said in a tone that suggested that it wasn't 'nothing'. Ranma scowled. "So…" she continued in a brighter tone. "You want to go spy?"

#

Kagome walked out of the theater unimpressed. The movie had been as lame as the title had suggested. Another girl passed, clinging to her boyfriends arm. "Oh that movie was terrifying!" the girl squealed. The girl looked scared as well, white and wide-eyed. So maybe it was just her then? Beside her, she heard Kuno sigh wistfully. He'd seen the couple too. There went his master plan. Well, it was his fault for trying to scare a girl who'd had led a double life as a demon-slaying priestess.

She couldn't help but think that if she'd seen the movie with InuYasha, they'd both be laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. She watched Kuno out of the corner of her eye. InuYasha definitely wouldn't have tried to scare her for his own perverted kicks.

_**"I better not hear you say you're scared, or you want to go home...With all that you've seen here, are you really surprised?"**_

No, InuYasha would be telling her to toughen up … or letting her know that he was going to protect her no matter what the cost. Which would only serve to frighten her more than whichever demon was attacking them at the time.

"So Kagome, did you enjoy the movie?" Kagome glared at Kuno. No she did not. But, she _was_ in a bad mood now. She shrugged and kept walking. "Ah! Kagome, let us go for a meal."

"Sure." She replied bluntly.

#

Akane and Ranma had followed the oblivious pair through the mall, sipping milkshakes, until they'd gone into a restaurant. Now, they watched as discreetly as they could through a window. "You know," said Ranma conversationally, "I never thought Kagome was the type to be so…calm over horror movies."

Akane shrugged. "She never used to be." She chuckled abruptly. "There was this one time where I was staying at the shrine, and we'd watched this freaky movie about … well I don't actually remember – but we just never stopped screaming. Eventually Aunty just came and turned off the TV." Akane laughed again. "I think she handed us some cartoons to watch then."

Ranma looked thoughtful. "You guys used to really be close, didn't you? But you've never really talked about her."

"Yeah, we used to be close." Akane looked at the floor sadly. "But then, when she turned fifteen – about a couple months before you showed up – she didn't answer any of her birthday calls, never sent any letters, and didn't even acknowledge my existence. I was a little angry with her at first, but then I found out that she'd been getting really sick, and I just felt bad. After that, she just kept getting sick, and I was off being dragged into all your battles. I never even had the time to visit her in hospital…" Akane was crying now, tears rolling down her cheeks. "We…just lost touch…and now, she's moody and something's really changed her and I don't think it's just Gramps…and I'm scared. She seems like she's getting better…but she's so…so different now and I don't understand." Akane began crying more freely now and Ranma stood beside her, bewildered and not sure what to do.

A sharp pain erupted in his shoulder, and cringing, he looked up into Kagome's furious eyes. "What the hell did you do to her you jerk?"

Ranma took a step back. "No-nothing I swear!" He froze as he saw Kuno running up to the scene, wearing a bowl of hot noodles for a hat. Just what the situation needed.

"You cad! Breaking Akane's heart like that!" he yelled.

Kagome whirled on him and Ranma thanked god she was currently otherwise occupied. Kagome could be scary. "Kuno! Devotion to me! Not Akane! Now prove your devotion and go home and cleanse!" She shrieked. Kuno bowed his head and left like an obedient puppy. "And now, what the hell did you do?"

"I said I didn't do anything!"

"Why do I find that so hard to believe?" People had started gathereing, to watch the teens argue. Akane had dried her tears, but she was so stunned by Kagome's behavior – which was completely different to any other side of Kagome she'd seen – that she could do little but watch in amazement.

"Because you're an idiot!"

"Oh, I'm the idiot? Says the boy who decides a cursed spring would be a good place to practice kicking things!"

"Yeah, I do say so!"

"Ugh, you are such a jerk!"

"Idiot!"

Kagome took a deep, but not at all calming breath. "That is it! Sit boy!"


	9. Chapter 9 Doggone It!

Chapter 9 - Doggone It!

"Has anyone seen Kagome?" Akane asked the gathering of people at the dinner table, Ranma right behind her.

Kasumi shook her head. "No, didn't she go on a date with the Kuno boy?" She frowned and held a palm against her cheek worriedly. "Nothing happened did it? She's not in trouble?"

Akane frowned back at Kasumi. "Ranma made her cry and then she ran away," she bit out.

This statement was met by a range of comments from all the assembled, from "Ranma my boy, how could you?" to "Well, it hasn't taken much to set her off lately anyway."

Glaring at Nabiki, Akane stormed from the room, dragging Ranma with her. "How are we going to find her now?"

#

Kagome sat slumped at the café table, idly stirring her cold tea with a pinkie finger. In the background she could hear a young, male voice claim undying love. Kagome snorted with derision. Undying love…if only. The voice was followed by a crash and the shriek of metal on metal. The voice started whimpering in pain.

"Now get out and start doing Mousse job!" Kagome cringed. She knew that voice…it was that Chinese girl who liked rubbing herself all over Ranma. What was her name…Conditioner? No, Shampoo wasn't it? Kagome glanced down at the menu in front of her. Cat Café. Great, just _great_. She'd been meaning to _escape _Ranma and Akane's relationship problems - not run into them.

A shadow fell over her, and Kagome turned to face the intruder with a bleary, world-weary expression. "Is there anything I can get you?" The boy asked. Kagome didn't say anything for a moment, taking in his appearance. He had long black hair, large round glasses, and flowing, baggy Chinese clothing.

"No, I'm fine." Kagome turned to look at her tea again. "Well, no, I'm far from fine." She sighed. "But I'm okay with the tea." It was all she could afford with Nabiki's payments.

The boy looked down at her sympathetically. "You get rejected too, huh?"

Kagome offered him a weak smile. "Something like that." Gesturing towards the café kitchen with a jerk of her head, she continued. "I heard what happened back there. That was harsh."

The boy sighed. "It's my own fault really, if only I could be a better martial artist, then maybe I would have won her heart a long time ago."

Kagome watched him speculatively, withdrawing her finger from the tea and quickly cleaning it off with her tongue. "Why is everyone around here so obsessed with that?"

He looked at her surprised. "To be able to fight is having honour," he said simply, taking the seat opposite her. "I sense some bitterness there. Is your boyfriend a martial artist?"

Kagome shrugged. "It is – was, complicated."

"I see. My name's Mousse by the way." He extended a hand which Kagome shook politely. She felt bad for the guy; he seemed far too sweet for a conniving girl like Shampoo.

"No offence, but I've met Shampoo, and she seems…well, not that nice."

Mousse looked horrified. "Shampoo is perfect! She's beautiful and smart and pretty and strong!"

"Whatever floats your boat," Kagome muttered, accompanying her sentence with an eye roll. How shocking! She'd found another stupid lovesick boy who couldn't see what was clear to everyone else.

"Well what's so great about the guy you're moping over?" Mousse sputtered defensively.

Kagome rubbed a hand over he face. "To tell you the truth, I'm not moping over my ex," she took a breath, "which is an achievement I guess."

"Oh really? You look lovesick to me, and believe me, I know the signs intimately."

"I told you before, it's complicated." She stuck her finger in her tea again, and also again, licked it clean. "My cousin has been promised to this guy, and even though they both deny it, they're pretty much in love-"

"And you seem to have fallen for him too?" He offered.

"No way! What kind of girl do you take me for?" He held up his hands in silent apology. "What actually happened is that while trying to help get them together… I screwed up."

"They hate each other now?"

"No. I started treating their relationship like the one I had with my ex."

"I thought this wasn't about your ex?"

"I thought so too." Mousse looked at her, with a confused expression which clearly stated he hadn't really intended to get into what looked like a deep well of emotional problems.

"Oh okay." He looked around embarrassed, for a moment, before landing his gaze on the Shikon Jewel, which had spilled out of Kagome's shirt and onto the table. "Nice necklace."

Kagome entwined the chain with her fingers, and promptly burst into tears.

#

Shampoo gave an irritable sigh as she watched two depressed teens cry their eyes out to each other. That had to be bad for business. "Great grandmother? What we do about that?"

"Oh just move them somewhere else."

"Hmm." Spotting a large bottle of sake, Shampoo brought it over to the table. "Mousse, you excused for afternoon. Go drown troubles somewhere else."

#

Ryoga smiled to himself, plans springing to life in his mind. If he could keep the girl on the sidewalk drinking…maybe, just maybe he'd have a shot at regaining his place by Akane's side.

Shampoo burst out of the café behind them. "I tell you somewhere else! Take this and shoo!" She handed over another large bottle, anxious to get them away from the customers.

#

Hours later found Kagome Higurashi sitting on the end of a long pier, feet splashing in the water and arms linked with the two boys on either side of her. "And then I said to him 'SIT!" Kagome laughed at that before continuing her story. "And he was soooo confused, because he wasn't him! They're different people!" Kagome moaned such a pitiful sound that it was little wonder that Mousse started crying for his new friend. Ryoga instead clutched his free hand over his heart and declared war on 'him'.

"Who are we talking about again?" He asked stupidly.

Kagome wrinkled her nose in amused disgust. "Ew. You are soooo drunk," she giggled.

"No you are!" Ryoga gave her a light shove. She pushed him right back.

Mousse stopped crying long to enough to face the other two with a solemn look. "I deem us _all_ completely drunk." Kagome and Ryoga exchanged glances before all three of them snorted and burst into childish laughter.

Kagome stood up - pulling the boys with her as she refused to let go of them. "I'm bored," She declared. She scanned the rows of nearby shops, restaurants and arcades till she spotted something that looked like fun. "Karaoke!" She screeched.

#

Akane and Ranma walked along the footpath, tired and depressed. "We've been looking all day, how could we have not found her?"

Ranma shrugged. "Maybe she went back to her shrine?"

Akane shook her head. "No, Aunty would've called."

"It's not like we've been around to accept any calls."

"Her stuff wasn't gone either." The pair lapsed into silence. Ranma was worried. Nabiki had made the weirdest comment as they'd left the house to search earlier.

"_**You better find her before she gets hurt; she gets drawn to the strangest people…and vice versa."**_

What the hell was that supposed to mean anyway? Nabiki had only said it quietly, so only he had heard her. He didn't want to worry Akane with it but he didn't have the money to bribe Nabiki into saying anything more, so how was he going to figure that one out?

Akane, was amazingly enough not as worried. She was too busy trying to remember something that had been bugging her ever since Kagome had yelled 'sit boy' at Ranma. She knew it was important, and would bring her that one step closer to understanding the secrets Kagome was keeping – and the root of her hurt – but she just couldn't put her finger on it.

She knew the clues were all there. First, there was the necklace Kagome wore; she'd gotten so upset over it that one time during dinner. Then, there was her enthusiasm for the…Shikon legend was it? Though, Akane wasn't sure how much of that stemmed from an attachment to her passing grandfather. There was also Nabiki.

"_**I know what you are,"**_

Nabiki definitely knew something, because it was obvious that she'd blackmailed Kagome into something (probably hefty payments) that day. She'd scared Kagome thoroughly. There was that book Kagome had taken one terrified look at too. From the fleeting glimpse she'd had, all Akane had gathered from it was something about a priestess.

There had been a priestess in Kagome's story too.

Hadn't Kagome shot a, well, magical arrow? Weren't priestesses supposed to be skilled with bows and arrows? But then, that didn't make sense. Kagome seemed pretty unhappy with the priestess in her story, and of course she'd seemed as surprised as the rest of them when the target had disintegrated. But there was the fact that Kagome had grown up on a shrine, so it probably meant nothing, and was just a strange coincidence.

Akane knew there was something she was missing, something glaringly obvious, that had been waved in her face countless times…and she had a feeling it all had to do with the 'sit boy'. So, what was the link?

"Dogs!" She screamed out.

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Um, what?"

"She said _sit boy_," Akane said, half-formulated thoughts flying around her head. Ranma stared at her incredulously.

"No kidding!" He rolled his eyes. "Only just get that?"

Akane hit him on the shoulder. "Yes! No! I mean - listen! Kagome said something else, I can't really remember, but it had to do with dogs too I'm pretty sure. She ran off crying then…the story! She was telling her story and said something about…burnt up priestesses?"

"What the hell does that have to do with dogs?"

"I'm not sure." Akane looked stumped, and returned to her pondering.

Ranma looked up at the sky, which glittered with the thousands of stars embedded in it. "We need to find her, it's been dark for ages now – she could be in danger."

Akane nodded slowly. They had ended up at the shore side, buildings shone behind them, while the ocean remained as black as ink and the pier trailed off into nothingness, engulfed by the darkness. She heard shouting.

"Ranma honey! Ranma!" Akane frowned. She wasn't really sure if she could deal with Ukyo right now, even if she liked the girl well enough on other occasions. "Akane!" The other girl now shouted.

Akane waved the girl over with surprise. Ukyo leaned forward, bracing herself on her knees while she caught her breath. "I've been chasing you guys everywhere," she panted. "I stopped by your house to give you back your notes Akane and I heard Kagome was missing," Ukyo straightened, breathing under control. "Anyway, I saw her before, she was drunk and hanging out with Ryoga and Mousse."

Akane gasped. "What? Kagome doesn't get drunk!"

Ukyo shrugged. "Well she is."

"Do you know where she is now?" Ranma interrupted.

Ukyo shook her head. "But she wouldn't have gone far right?"

Akane looked thoughtful, "Well, maybe not. We could check around the bars I guess. But, I can't really see Kagome willingly going into a bar, drunk or not. She's too innocent."

Ranma was staring at something a little way down the street. "How about a karaoke bar then?"

"Might as well check it out." The three raced into the building, and immediately stopped short, stunned by the scene that greeted them.

They had indeed found Kagome; in fact it was quite easy to spot her amongst the screaming, cheering crowd. The reason being that Kagome was the one on stage, with her skirt a _lot _shorter than Ranma and Akane remembered it being at the mall and the top buttons of her blouse undone. It took them a moment to realise that the crowd was screaming 'encore', but the fact was apparently not lost on Kagome, who had begun singing.

The crowd died down a little, just enough for the teens to make out the words "At first I was afraid, I was petrified…"

"Oh my god." Akane stared at Kagome in shock. Ranma's expression mirrored hers, and even Ukyo who didn't know Kagome so well was surprised.

"…kept thinking I could never live without you by my side…"

Kagome ran a hand up the length of her body, first hitching her skirt up a little, then pushing her cleavage up before flinging her arm out to the side dramatically.

"Oh my god." Akane was horrified. Both Ukyo and Ranma nodded in agreement.

"You said it."

"Took the words right out of my mouth."

"…and I learnt how to get along, and so you're back..." Kagome started to move her body with the music. She bent herself forward, twisting her shoulders back and forth - granting the crowd a panoramic view down her top. This action was met with a string of wolf whistles and hoots from the (mostly) male audience. Where before, Kagome would have blushed and squealed with embarrassment (let alone never be caught acting this way in the first place) this new, drunk Kagome just continued singing and dancing, or rather, flaunting her 'assets'.

As the girl twirled around the stage, the other three went looking for Ryoga and Mousse. They were sitting at the closet table to the stage, cheering Kagome on and making idiotic and nonsensical comments. Several empty glasses and bottles surrounded them, as well as some half-full ones. Ranma smacked them both upside the head.

"I am going to kill the both of you," he growled.

"Why?" Mousse cried, "I didn't do anything except love my sweet Shampoo! You can't have her!" Mousse made a weird half-punch movement – and fell off his chair.

"Because you two got her _drunk_!" Ranma yelled pointing to the stage, where Kagome had just popped another button.

Ryoga whimpered. "But it was Sh'poses fault!"

"Who?"

"The girl!" Ryoga screamed back.

"Which girl?"

"With the hair!" The boy stood and began gesturing wildly.

"Oh, _now_ I know! Not! You friggin' idiot!"

Akane squealed with terror. Kagome had popped _another_ button. "Ranma! Do something!" Thankfully, Kagome stopped at that moment, all by herself. She turned, giggling and waving to her cousin, her shirt flapping open and revealing her lacy white bra.

"Hey 'Kaa-nie! I looove you! I looove you too Rani!" Akane blushed crimson red, since Kagome was too out of it to be embarrassed for herself. Ukyo glared at Kagome.

"Ranma honey, I thought she wasn't anything to you!"

Ranma didn't even dignify that with an answer. He slapped a hand over his face and dragged it down. The crowd were begging Kagome to start up again, but she ignored them while she greeted her friends. She watched Ranma's tense movements with sadness. "Oh Rani! Are you upset with me? I didn't _mean_ to treat you like my puppy!"

Akane's head cleared enough to recognise her chance. Ignoring the hooting men, she pushed her way to the edge of the stage. "Puppy? Kagome, what puppy are you talking about?" Over her shoulder she hissed a 'told you so' at Ranma. "I knew there were dogs involved."

Kagome giggled. "Why, my very special puppy of course." She gasped, "You mean you don't know him?"

"No, I don't. Come down and tell me about him please?"

"You want to know about him? Well, he's brave and strong and he's sexy too!" Kagome looked around conspiratorially, before yelling at Akane from behind a cupped hand. "But don't tell him I said that! It'll make things awkward!"

Akane looked surprised. "You're talking about…a boy? Why do you call him puppy then?"

"Oh. I don't. He'll get mad. He doesn't like to be treated like a dog...but _I _can't help it! He's sooo_...animalistic_..._"_she purred. Kagome giggled again and leant forward, placing a finger to her lips. "So lets keep that our little secret. Okay?" She leapt back up to her feet, and staggered sideways – before falling off the stage.

* * *

AN-Thank-you reveiwers! I'm glad to know you guys got a kick outta that 'sit boy'! Anyway, I wanted to say that I really wrestled with having a drunk Kagome. I had never previously planned for this, but suddenly there she was! Drunk and immodestly clothed. Is immodestly a word? But! Kagome is seventeen now, (a year in the feudal era, then a year moping at the shrine) that coupled with all the stress she's been under lately, is it really so weird for Kagome to get drunk on a whim? I was typing out the story, seeing where this was all headed, and suddenly I had found I'd written another chapter - hopefully the next one is going to come out quickly too, I seem to have finally moved past my writers block. And, to be honest, I had a LOT of fun writing this chapter. So, tell me what you think please?


	10. Chapter 10 The Downside

Chapter 10 The Downside

* * *

It was late-afternoon by the time her stomach had calmed down enough for her to venture outside the bathroom, where she'd been sitting and groaning on the floor between heaves. Thank god it was the weekend.

She slipped back into Akane's room, shivering in delight at thought of the comfy bed that awaited her, only to find (female version) Ranma and Akane waiting for her. It was ambush, plain and simple.

"Here to tell me how bad I screwed up last night?" She asked them wearily. She knew getting drunk was bad, and she didn't intend to ever do it again – but a part of her had relished the freedom and activity. After months of nothing, letting go had been…exhilarating.

"Yes…and no," said Akane. "We'll get the first part over and done with shall we? Kagome, it was not good of you to disappear and worry us like that. Be thankful that we got to you before you took off _all_of your clothes. And now for the next part; who's puppy?" Kagome hadn't revealed anything more since she had fallen off the stage in the karaoke bar - and into unconsciousness.

Kagome looked at Akane, eyebrow raised and completely confused. "Puppy? I don't know anyone called Pup – what?!" Kagome shrieked, half way through her own sentence. "My clothes? What happened to them? What did I do last night?" Kagome breath became short, violent huffing as she panicked. Last night was a near-complete blur for her; she could remember the café, and Shampoo's rather large bottles of sake, bits and pieces of what happened at the pier…and not much else. Having blanks in her memory frightened her, considering it usually meant there was some sort of demonic plot going on.

It was Ranma's turn to raise an eyebrow. "You were practically stripping on stage at a karaoke bar. You were giving the crowd quite a show."

"No way would I do that!" Kagome screamed, blushing furiously.

"Yes way!" Ranma hopped to his (or was it her?) feet. "Mm-hmm, first you were tugging at your skirt…" Ranma pranced around the room giving a fairly accurate impression of a drunken Kagome.

"Ranma! Shut up!" Akane whacked him.

"You know…" Kagome started to say shakily, "you're very disturbing Ranma."

"Who me? How?"

"You are far too good at acting like a promiscuous female."

"Well so are you!" He/her retorted, looking murderously angry.

"So I hear." Kagome spotted one of her favourite skirts hanging over the back of a chair. Picking it up, her jaw dropped open. Someone had cut at it messily, so it was just a quarter of its previous length. "I think I'm going to go back to my calling as a priestess." Kagome sighed and stuck her head in her hands. "Wouldn't Gramps be proud?" There was a tell-tale sniffling sound, and Akane and Ranma exchanged upset glances.

Kasumi entered the room then and looked worriedly at the two and a half distressed girls. "Is this a bad time? Kagome has a visitor, but I can send him away…"

Kagome rubbed her damp face and looked up at Kasumi. Believing it was just Kuno again; Kagome waved away Kasumi's assumption, almost glad for the distraction. "No, no, I'll come see him."

Kasumi smiled gently at her. "Well, okay, he's waiting in the living room." She picked up a few stray items of clothing for the washing basket at her hip and left.

"We'll let you get ready." Akane hurriedly left the room, dragging Ranma with her.

#

"Who do you think it is?" Akane asked Ranma as they walked down the hall.

"It's probably just Kuno." Akane slipped into the room with Ranma following.

The guest wasn't Kuno at all. It was in fact, a boy about their age with short, cropped brown hair, a soft voice and who was holding a wrapped gift.

"So you came here to court our Kagome?" Akane heard her father ask the boy.

"Umm, well I really just wanted to make sure she was okay…" the boy mumbled, blushing and scratching the back of his head.

Her father continued speaking as if he hadn't heard the boy. Akane cringed. She could recognise his expression, the posture…the imperious tone of voice…he was acting the over-protective father for his niece. "You must know that everyone here is very fond of the girl. Hurt her, and you will pay the consequences." The boy gulped. "Why, our martial arts school is formidable, and our boy Ranma here," he pointed Ranma out, "is virtually undefeated!"

The boy, pale and frightened, spared a glance at Ranma.

"But she's just a girl!" He said, seeming relived.

Ranma growled. "Well this girl is gonna kick your ass!" Akane elbowed him/her in the gut. A short scream prevented Ranma from retaliating. Kagome stood in the doorway looking like she'd seen a ghost.

"Hojo? Wh-what are you doing here?" He really was the last person she wanted to deal with right now. She'd rather be seeing Kuno than him, and that was saying a lot.

Hojo stood, scraping his foot against the ground nervously. "Kagome, I wanted to check up on you…I uh…my birthday and I saw, last night…at the um…karaoke bar," Hojo was beet red.

"Oh." Kagome squeaked out, understanding what he was getting at. "Um, well I wasn't really myself…things were, were kinda…crazy and um…"

Hojo interrupted her. "Maybe we could, uh, talk privately, maybe?" He asked, just as embarrassed as she was.

Akane took it upon herself to clear the room, which she did with much gusto. The door slid shut, leaving the stumbling pair alone finally.

"If you know you wanted to talk…" Hojo trailed off, not really sure how to talk to the girl who hadn't spoken to him willingly for a year.

"Oh that's okay…I'm, um, well you see I think Akane's first in line for that." Kagome was watching the ground. Her already damaged reputation at school must be beyond repair by now – because if Hojo had seen, who else had?

"Oh well, I wanted to give you this." Hojo handed her the present that was tucked under his arm. Kagome took the package and unwrapped it, to find a few boxes a tea. "It's a herbal remedy, supposed to be good for well…curing hangovers," he finished sheepishly.

"Oh, okay thanks." _This would have been good a few hours ago. _"I don't know what you must think of me, but I don't really do … that… often. It was the first and last time, I swear." Kagome still couldn't meet his gaze.

"I um, didn't think so…what I mean is I wouldn't have expected…I mean – never mind."

"Okay." Kagome squeaked. Hojo left soon after that, and Kagome collapsed to her knees, wishing the floor could just swallow her up.

#

Everyone sat around the dining table as usual, happily digging into yet another of Kasumi's brilliant meals. Everyone except for Kagome that was. She sat at the head of the table in a stupor – not having moved since Hojo had left.

"Do you think she's okay?" asked Akane.

"Does she look like it?" Countered Ranma, as masculine as a man could be.

Akane latched on the water jug, but before she could anything with it, Happosai burst into the room.

He barrelled into Kagome, sending her falling across the ground with a surprised 'eep'. "Oh Kagome so good to see you again sweet," he leapt onto the table after a quick nuzzle into Kagome's prone form. "Ranma my boy, suit up! We've got us some work to do."

Ranma looked unimpressed. "Better not be a panty raid," he muttered.

"Actually, a hotel near by is being plagued by a demon." Behind him, Kagome sat up in one smooth motion; blinking her wide, innocent eyes with an expression on her small face that neither Akane nor Ranma could place.

"As a martial artist, it is our duty to protect the defenceless from wretches such as these. Go to it Ranma!" shouted Mr. Tendo.

Kagome paid no attenion to him. Demons. In her time, threatening the safety of modern day Tokyo. The idea was enough to make her head spin, even though she'd faced demons on this of the well before. But that had been during her dark fairytale era. The idea of facing a demon once more was exhilarating…freeing. In short, it was a feeling akin to being intoxicated – minus the disappointment and the hangover.

After so long of nothing…well, she _really_ wanted that rush again. And with that in mind she quickly lost all reason. "Can I come?" She asked.

"No!" Ranma yelled. As the following argument wore on, she found he was dead set against her coming. In fact no-one was on her side. No-one wanted fragile, cry-baby Kagome facing something as terrible as a weasel demon.

"If you don't let me, I'll just come anyway! You can't stop me!" She eventually threatened. Ranma muttered something underneath his breath. "Please! It's not like its some big powerful demon or anything!"

"How would you know?" He shot back.

This stopped her short. After a moments pause she yelled, "I grew up on a shrine, demonology was compulsory!" She lied. Her secret was still her secret after all. And her story seemed true enough anyway. "I can take care of myself!" She continued, changing the subject.

Akane sighed. "Let her come Ranma, I'll come too and look after her."

Ranma snorted. "Oh yeah right, like that's going to happen." But once Akane had given her approval, things went quickly in Kagome's favour.

Once her going had been finalised, Kagome leapt from the room and disappeared into the Dojo. Quickly she found a bow and a quiver full of arrows. They weren't her sacred arrows, but they'd do. She ran out the front door, where Ranma, Akane, their fathers and Happosai were waiting.

Ranma gave her an odd look. "Whadd'ya need those for?"

Kagome huffed. "To fight the demon you idiot." Ranma groaned.

"Arrows? But I thought you didn't know how to use them…you said that time in class was just a fluke." Akane seemed more reserved than usual, watching Kagome quietly and biting her lip every so often.

Kagome shrugged. "Well then let's hope I get lucky again." When no-one said anything more, Kagome turned and started down the pathway, and onto the street. "Let's go!" She yelled over her shoulder.

Worried and slightly unnerved by Kagome's latest attitude change, the rest of the group followed.

* * *

AN-Well, I'm glad that everyone enjoyed drunk Kagome - as I've mentioned before i wasn't sure i should stick that in...but your responses have reassured me! Thank you for the great reveiws everyone! And I'm sorry, this chap was a little shorter than usual, but i had to cut it in half cus it was getting too long, and this was more of a transistion chapter anyway. I'm really hanging out for when i can move onto the next bit of plot...sqeuals Maybe its not that exciting...but still! Squeal!! Anyway there has been something i had wanted to say to some reveiws a while back...argh cant remember...nabiki.! Yes! a few people seemed to getupset with Nabikifor black-mailing kagome. i just wanted to say, that this isnt nessecarily a terrible thing...well, yes it is, very mean in fact... But Nabiki is Nabiki, cold, manipulative (but not as bad as say Sesshomaru or Naraku) but what im getting at here is...i dont know. just dont hate her too much. personally i wouldnt love her any other way. but anyway.

Thank-you for the reviews and keep telling me what you think, I love hearing from you guys!


	11. Chapter 11 Bored

Chapter 11 – Bored

"Lost her again?" Akane glared at Ukyo. "Hm. Maybe you need like a tracking device or something. Hey, I know a guy who could cast a spell for you at very reasonable-"

"Thanks!" Akane interrupted hurriedly, "Ukyo, for the offer, but I don't think that's going to be necessary." Kagome always did come home again after all…but Akane was just curious as to where she'd disappearing to for the past week. Since the fiasco with the weasel demon (which had, incidentally turned out to be _three_ weasel demons) Kagome had begun to act more and more like her old self. She'd finally started looking healthy again too, putting on the weight she'd lost in exchange for the dark circles around her eyes.

But Kagome had also started getting careless about her secrets. After the awesome display of power Kagome had showed while destroying the weasels, Akane knew for certain that she wasn't jumping to conclusions at all. Something incredible had indeed happened to her cousin. She even believed that Kagome's full story was just within her grasp – if only she could piece together all those annoying little clues that danced around the edges of her mind.

Though she was glad to see Kagome back on her feet, this was still frustrating to say the least.

#

A beautiful young woman sat on a weathered tree stump, with a pensive expression on her face. She was all alone apart from the small kitten playing in the grass at her feet, and of course, the two month old baby in her lap. Absently she tickled her daughter, wondering when her husband would be back, and if he would have any good news for her this time.

Before she could pursue her thoughts any further, a cracking in the forest undergrowth alerted her to a possible threat - or at the very least an unwelcome intruder on her musings. Quickly she was on her feet, with her Hirakotsu in the air, and baby safely tucked behind an unconcerned cat demon. Unconcerned…that was odd. Maybe the intruder was no threat at all.

Half-heartedly she lowered her weapon by the slightest inch. She looked from her companions to the general direction from which the intruder was coming, watching apprehensively. She heard an indistinct grumbling, and then, quite suddenly saw a man about a year or so older than her, fall through the trees to land unceremoniously at her feet.

Sango laughed outright at her husbands not-so-grand entrance.

"Sango!" Miroku called happily, seemingly not worried by his visit with the ground. "How I've missed your beautiful face!"

"Sure it was just my face you missed, monk?" She teased. She ignored Miroku's responding song and dance, and instead exchanged her Hirakotsu for her gurgling baby girl - making sure to put the tiniest amount of extra sway into her hips as she did so.

As Miroku's wife, she was allowed to act flirtatiously, she reasoned.

"Look who missed her father," Sango cooed, handing over the baby to the (now sitting) monk. She settled down next to Miroku and their child. She gave him a few moments to reacquaint himself, before asking the question that was weighing heavily on both their minds.

"So. Where's InuYasha?"

"I…I still don't know."

#

Kagome meandered down the alleyways of Tokyo's more…unsavoury areas, just itching for a fight. Since the weasel demons, she'd managed to find and purify two rabbit demons, three stork demons and a particularly nasty lizard demon. She'd been quite proud of herself for that last one, and she suspected even InuYasha would've been impressed with the way she'd handled herself during that battle.

Maybe not Ranma though, who was still sulking over the fact that she'd been the one to take out all three of the weasel demons, in his place. Kagome smirked at the memory.

Weasel demons weren't strong. InuYasha would have easily dispatched of them, and then afterwards swung his sword over his shoulder with a customary 'keh' and a 'that wasn't worth my time.' However the demons were quick and sly, and as Ranma's strengths lay in those same categories, he and his opponents were quite evenly matched. Ranma would twist, jump, slide, kick and punch, but never gain the advantage. So, it had been a good thing she'd tagged along. Her arrows had ripped through the overgrown rodents and left nothing behind.

It had also been to Kagome great pleasure, to discover during that fight, that it wasn't the arrows – it was the power she put into them. Which therefore explained the magic show during gym. Hadn't she been wishing then for her sacred arrows?

She turned the corner into another secluded, dank and filthy street, sighing heavily when she found nothing. Hitching herself up onto a nearby dumpster, she sung to herself, wondering what to do next.

She kicked and swung her legs of the edge of her seat, looking for all intents and purposes, like a young and innocent girl who was waiting for daddy to come and pick her up. Except for the bow and arrows slung over her shoulder, which quite easily dispelled the illusion.

However, the young man who had begun to walk towards her, failed to notice her weapons – and if he had, thought nothing of them anyway. As his footsteps echoed off the concreted walls and down the alley, Kagome whipped her head up to identify the source of the sound. Then she did something the man was not expecting.

She grinned devilishly – like InuYasha did as he threw himself into battle.

"Hey, darling, what're you doing here all alone?"

Kagome shrugged. "Looking for something," she answered quite simply.

"Oh, I see. Well why don't I help you with that?"

"If you wouldn't mind," she goaded, forgetting that her newest adversary was human, therefore harder to defeat with her miko powers. And she certainly couldn't_ kill_ a human.

Smiling genially, he led her further down the street, where the surrounding buildings were windowless and concrete, she couldn't see the road and on top of all that was a dead end.

She was so busy plotting various strategies, she didn't notice his hands flying towards her, till they had her pinned against the nearest wall. His hot breath blew over her face as she squirmed in his grip – her weapons digging uncomfortably into her back.

She drew her knees up sharply, sinking them into his stomach – and watched with some satisfaction as he staggered back, wheezing. She dropped her quiver and took her bow in hand, spinning it in a move she'd often seen on TV and had perfected during her travels. Keeping the bow she now wielded like a staff between her and her assailant, she waited for him to come at her again.

As if her bow was a bright red flag, and the man a bull, he charged her. And just as deftly as a real matador she stepped to the side at the last moment, making sure to deliver another blow to his stomach with her weapon as she did so. The effect of that was to send him tumbling head first into the cement behind her – as well as snapping her bow in half. But that craved adrenaline was pumping through her system, and so she hardly cared.

Groaning, the man pulled himself to his feet. "You stupid bitch," he spat. There was a small cut above his left eyebrow now, from which blood streamed. Kagome stared at it in horror, now realising her potentially fatal mistake.

She was up against a larger, stronger human. She couldn't kill him, purify him – and her only weapon was broken now, thanks to her carelessness.

She turned heel, and tried to run, but her attacker wrapped his arms her waist, tackling her to the ground. She thrust her elbow in his general direction, hoping it would make contact with a nose – but nothing happened. She struggled and wriggled, doing everything she could to get herself free, but he'd worked his way on top of her, crushing her with his weight, and he had her arms pinned above her head.

Kagome drew in a breath and screamed, and screamed and screamed.

And someone had been listening, because at that moment a blur of red flashed into sight, and hurtled into her assailant. For one wild moment, she thought that InuYasha had come for her.

But it wasn't him.

"Kagome?"

"Akane?" said Kagome breathlessly.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm sorry! I thought I could take him, but he's human!"

"What are you on about?" Akane shook her head in confusion. "Wait, you mean to say, you were _looking _for a fight?"

Kagome berated herself. Of all the things to let slip…she just had to say the thing that would get her into the most trouble. "Uh, I wouldn't say that, but…"

"Ooh," Akane growled, "Kagome Higurashi, you are coming home this instant!"

"Okay, okay!" Kagome said, holding up her hands in a gesture of peace.

#

Akane slammed her hand through a cinderblock, shattering it with ease.

"I said I was sorry," Kagome offered.

Smash, went another brick.

It had been three days since Ranma had rescued her. In those three days, neither he, or Akane had let Kagome out of sight. Akane was still mad at her, to the point where Kagome was almost begging for Ranma to come play guard instead, because time spent with Akane, was just plain awkward now. And on top of that, she was feeling extremely restless.

Akane glared at her. "Stop fidgeting." She ordered.

"I'm not."

"Yes you are. What's wrong with you? First all you do is sit and mope – not moving for hours, then suddenly you can't stay still!"

"Sorry?" Kagome ventured.

School was torturously boring as well. Kagome would sit in her seat staring out the window at the blue skies, and wonder – would she be able to get away with fake illnesses here? Probably not. The people at this school were all extremely nosey.

"Back to moping are we?"

Kagome started. Akane was kneeling on the floor in front of her, leaning her crossed arms on Kagome's desk.

"No. I'm just thinking. What are you doing on the floor Akane?" It might have been English class (which was practically a free period thanks to Miss Hinako's childish tendencies) but still, it wasn't like Akane to take advantage of that.

"It's lunch dummy."

"Oh." Now, that made more sense.

"Here." Akane placed a small lunchbox on the desk.

"Thanks but I've got one."

Akane sighed. "No you don't. This is your one, but you forgot it this morning."

"Oh." The classroom door slammed open then, making most students jump. Kuno strode in, looking bruised and battered – and filthy as well.

"Great," Kagome muttered.

"Didn't you send him on some quest last week?"

"He wasn't supposed to come back!"

"Someone's been spending to much time with Nabiki," Akane muttered back.

"I don't spend any time wi- Kuno!" Kagome put on her best happy face. "Did you find the things I asked for?"

Kuno fell to his knees before her. "Forgive me sweet maiden for I have failed you. I bring to you only the Cowrie Shell and the Jewelled Sprig!" He held out these items for everyone to see. "I searched high and low, yet the other treasures elude me!"

Akane rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, you're still missing, the Stone Bowl of Buddha, the Robe of the Fire Rat, oh and the Jewel from the Dragon's neck. Why does that sound so familiar?" she asked dryly.

Kagome giggled nervously. "Kuno!" she snapped, dragging the attention away from her self. "I am pleased with you so far. Now go and find me the other objects, okay?"

Kuno sighed. "Yes my love! I shall not fail you this time!" He ran out the door, and Kagome fell forward onto her desk, sighing with relief.

"You made him chase after mythical objects from a fairytale?"

"Yes." Kagome looked up. "But I just don't have the heart to tell him that these are fakes," she said, tapping the branch against the desk. "Plastic," she sighed.

"You were hoping for the real thing? I'm fairly sure they don't actually exist…and if they did, Kuno would probably kill himself trying anyway."

Ranma snorted from where he sat, behind Kagome. "Yeah right. You have met the guy right? He doesn't know when to stay down, and believe me, I've tried."

Akane just rolled her eyes.

* * *

AN - I'm so sorry! It's been ages hasn't it? I been having major writers block on this one (again!) - I just don't really feel like writing about a depressed Kagome anymore. Its just starting to grate on me; I wan't her to STOP acting so STUPID already! AARGH! Sorry. -.-"

Oh, and also, I skipped over the fight scene with the weseals, because it turns out I SUCK at writing action. Its all fine and dandy in my head (the graphics are amazing in there) but then on page.....grah.

Anyway, thank-you to the many reviewers, I just hope I havn't turned you off this story for good with this latest attempt.


	12. Chapter 12 Costly Betrayal

Chapter 12 – Costly Betrayal

* * *

**_Today was her last day in the Feudal Era. He watched her make her good byes, and give kisses all around. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous when she placed her lips on the monk. He knew he should be down there, saying goodbye, making the most of the time he had left with her...but for the last few days, all he seemed to be able to do was watch her from a distance. He felt so pathetic. He saw Shippou run after her as she made her way to the well, alone. _**

**_"Shippou, I love you too but you're making this harder for me. If you come with me now, I won't be able to do this, and it's very important that I do." Good, InuYasha thought. _**

**_"Good!" Shippou exclaimed, almost like he could read InuYasha's mind. "I didn't mean that." _**

**_"Yes you did." _**

**_Shippou thought a moment. "Yes I did." He agreed. "But that's not what I meant to say." InuYasha tensed. "I wanted you to promise that you'll stay strong." _**

**_"I promise." Kagome's voice was soft. _**

**_Shippou looked at the trees a moment, before spotting him and catching his glare. Shippou shifted uncomfortably. Too bad, do it! InuYasha thought, glaring._**

**_"You have to promise to be strong."_**

**_"__I did." Said Kagome, surprised and confused._ **

"_**No, you have to say it."**_

"_**Oh." Kagome fixed Shippou with a serious gaze and placed her hand over her heart. "I swear that I'll always stay strong." **_

_**Shippou looked at him again, and he nodded to the kitsune. "It'll do." Shippou conceded.**_

_**It was the closet InuYasha was going to get to a goodbye, never mind that it hadn't come from him directly - **_

"InuYasha!" The startled hanyou leapt to his feet, looking around him wildly. The voice giggled. "Silly, it's just me." InuYasha cursed, glaring at the pretty young hanyou for interrupting his reminiscing. Chouko grinned, "What, the great InuYasha didn't notice a simple butterfly like me?"

"Not with these damned flowers everywhere," he muttered, ruthlessly kicking a patch of the small, heavily scented white flowers that the forest was rife with.

"You are in a bad mood. Are you thinking of that old lover of yours again?"

InuYasha growled and took to the trees.

#

Kagome sat on one of the rocks surrounding the pond, watching a little bug skim along the surface. "So what have you been up to? Haven't seen you in a while."

Ryouga, who was sitting next to her, sighed. "I was training. And I tried visiting Akari, but that got messy for for a while – you know how bad my sense of direction is."

Kagome 'hmmed' her agreement. It was terrible. "Hang on," she almost yelled, startling herself as well as the boy next to her. "Who is this Akari?"

"Oh...well, she's kinda in love with me. She thinks we should get married or something."

Kagome silently cheered. This saved her finding a girl for Ryouga herself.

"Kagome! Where are you?!" Akane yelled.

"Here comes the nanny," Kagome muttered.

"Kagome!"

"Right here!" she answered, getting up from her seat and turning to wave at Akane, who stood on the porch with a horrified look on her face.

"Kagome!"

"What?" Kagome asked irritably. The over-protective thing was getting really old.

Akane raised a shaking finger. Behind her Ryouga gasped, and before she even had the chance to see what was wrong, she felt him slam into her, taking them both flying across the garden.

She scrambled away from Ryouga, finally getting a look at situation. Standing in the pile of rubble that had previously been the rock she'd just been sitting on, was...well, the only name she could put to the creature was 'demon'.

It was humanly shaped, but it stood hunched over, its elongated arms brushing against the ground. It's skin was a rotten black, and glistened with the copious amounts of saliva that was sliding from its mouth. Huge fangs protruded from behind its upper lip, so large that the rest of its face looked like they had been compressed to fit them in, and his beady red eyes were almost hidden behind the many folds of flesh.

"Girl, you have it, don't you?"

Kagome paled...the demon couldn't be talking about...the jewel...could he?

"Thought it was lost, thought it was lost," it rasped out.

It was talking about the jewel. There was no other possibility, the situation was just the same, to similar...Kagome felt sick. But there was no time for that – she had to protect the jewel.

"Kagome? What is it talking about?" Akane shrieked, panicking.

"Never mind, Ryouga, hold it off! Akane, wheres Ranma? I'll be back in a second!" Kagome pushed her way past Akane, into the dojo, searching for weapons.

She waded through the piles that fell out of the weapons cupboard, and after a minute of desperate searching found a spare bow and a few arrows. She raced back outside, to see both Ryouga and Ranma had thrown themselves into battle. Ranma kicked the demon, snapping its head back, and Ryouga followed him, with a punch to the stomach.

It stumbled backwards, fell into the pond and sent water flying in all directions – including Ryouga's. Ranma seeing what was about to happen, threw Ryouga out of the way, getting drenched in his place. Snarling as best he could with his girlish voice, Ranma threw himself at the beast again. His weaker self's arms were shaking with exertion as she hoisted the demon over her head and threw it back on the grass.

Akane ran into the house for some hot water.

Kagome took a deep breath, summoning the power she used to vanquish the demons she'd hunted down – but was distracted when Ranma punched it in the gut and screeched in pain.

"It's like hitting rock!"

Ryouga smirked, glad to get one up on Ranma – even if he'd just saved him from humiliation. "Weakling!" He taunted, getting back into it.

Kagome sighed, and began summoning her power again. She fitted the arrow against the bow, drew it back and – _snap_. She groaned. The string was broken. What timing. Weaponless, she turned her attention back to the boys. The boy, and the boy/girl thing, anyway.

"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Ranma yelled, throwing hundreds of lightning fast punches within the blink of an eye. She stood back panting. "Not even a scratch! And I hit all the vulnerable points too!"

The demon snickered. "Fool, you can't hurt me, my body is strong!"

Ryouga froze where he stood, a thoughtful look on his face. "Strong...like rock, eh?"

Akane raced onto the grass and poured steaming hot water over Ranma. "Akane!" Kagome screamed, as the demon lifted clawed hand to bring down on her cousin. Ranma had already seen it though, and within seconds had scooped Akane up in his arms and leapt backwards, safely out of reach.

"Stay here!" Ranma growled.

Behind him, Ryouga was speeding towards the demon. "Bakusai Tenketsu!"

Ranma made a sound of sheer frustration. "Idiot! That doesn't work on anything living!"

Ryouga ignored Ranma, and attacked the demon, using the same incredible speed that Ranma had used – shattering the demon into a million tiny pieces. As the dust settled, Ryouga looked up at the astounded group and grinned.

#

The entire family (including Happosai and Ryouga), sat around the dining table, all eyes on Kagome.

"So, the demon came after something you had?"

Kagome nodded to her uncle, rolling the Jewel around her palm. "Yes. This."

Akane frowned. "I thought it was just a fake Shikon Jewel?"

Nabiki snorted. "Hardly. Look at that flawless quality...and compare it to this," she said, holding up the Shikon Key-chain.

Ranma's eyes widened.

"_You better find her before she gets hurt; She gets drawn to the strangest people...and vice versa..."_

"You knew!" Ranma accused.

"Uh, duh," Nabiki rolled her eyes. "I said as much in front of your _entire _class."

Happosai cleared his throat loudly. "But what I want to know, is how you managed to procure the jewel, which was supposedly destroyed 500 years ago?"

Kagome sighed. "Well, my shrine, is the exact place the half-demon, InuYasha -"

"Dogs! Inu, is dog!" Ranma gave Akane his best 'you are a freak' look. She blushed.

"Well...yes, Akane." Kagome shook her head, and carried on with her story. "It's the exact place InuYasha, and his lover the Priestess Kikyo, who looked after the jewel, were tricked by the evil bandit - Onigumo - into hating each other. Disguised as InuYasha, he mortally wounded Kikyo, and then disguised as Kikyo, he shot InuYasha.

InuYasha thought Kikyo had betrayed him, so he stole the jewel and ran. But Kikyo, using the last bit of her strength came after him and – Akane, do you remember the sacred tree? The patch of bark that's been rubbed away?"

Akane nodded.

"Well, Kikyo sealed InuYasha to the tree before she died and had the jewel burnt with her body – the missing bark shows where he lay asleep for fifty years."

"But the Jewel can't have been burned, you have it right there!" Mr. Saotome protested.

"I haven't got to that part yet," Kagome said quietly, the shaking in her voice betraying how she felt about revealing her secret at last. Nervous as hell.

"Five hundred years later, Kikyo was reincarnated," Kagome made a face here, "With the Jewel lying dormant inside the baby. On the girl's fifteenth birthday, she fell into a dry well on the shrine where she lived – and found that she'd traveled five hundred years into the past."

She could feel the stunned looks on her, as she stood and began pacing before her audience.

"And you got the jewel off this girl?"

"Ryouga, she _is _the girl."

"Oh."

Kagome smiled. "Yeah. That's right. I broke the seal on InuYasha, when the Jewel was ripped out of my side during a battle with a centipede demon – he promised he would save me, and I didn't want to die like that.

But after he'd defeated the centipede demon, he turned on me and threatened to kill me if I didn't hand over the Jewel. Another priestess, bound him to me with a rosary. InuYasha wasn't a threat anymore. Instead he hung around, for the jewel he said, and protected me from demons that wanted the Jewel. But, I shattered it."

Akane had a fairly solid idea of who 'puppy' was now.

"Anyway, we made some friends, defeated the bad guys, fixed the Jewel and after a year, our quest was over and I decided that I had to choose between an era. I couldn't keep traveling between times. You see, I would go back home every once in a while, sometimes InuYasha would come with me, to stock up on supplies or take a break. Gramps explained away my absences by telling every one I'd been in the hospital."

"You mean you were never sick?"

Kagome winced. "No."

Akane glared at Kagome. "You could have told me this sooner! Here I was, feeling guilty about never visiting you!"

"Sorry -"

"Hush Akane dear," Kasumi soothed. "Aren't you relieved that Kagome never suffered a terrible disease?"

"Well...yeah," Akane admitted sourly.

"...Obviously I choose to stay in this time for good. With my family," Kagome emphasised.

Akane forgave her with a 'hmph'.

"And then you came here because you weren't getting over your precious dog-boy," Ranma stated, also correctly guessing 'puppy's' identity.

Kagome blushed, and choose to ignore him. "What I don't get, is how that demon knew about the Shikon Jewel..."

Nabiki coughed.

Everyone turned to look at her.

Akane moaned. "You didn't...did you?"

Nabiki shrugged. "You should have seen the check."

"How could you sell out Kagome like that? Especially with the state she's in?"

"Hey! I'm doing much better!"

"Shut up Kagome! Nabiki, I can't believe you!"

Nabiki grinned, used to her family's impression of her...dealings. "Then you definitely won't wanna hear what I have to say next.

* * *

_AN- Sorry! It's been a while......._

_At least with this chapter, I'm feeling better about the fic now. In fact I think I'm going to write some more now.....as soon as I get another chapter of Forward up...............anyway, I was reading through the past chapters, and it's just full of errors. Errors galore! Even one little continuity error, where Ranma wasn't at the funeral to meet Kagome, but then talks about how he saw her at the funeral. Sigh. Once I've finished this story, I'm going to go through it and re-do it, so it's all....better than it is currently. One day._

_Meaning of Chouko: Butterfly child. Original and subtle, right? Lol._

_Meaning of Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken: Imperial Roasting Chestnuts in the Fire Fist or, Chestnuts Roasting over an Open Fire Fist. (-.-")_

_Meaning of Bakusai Tenketsu: Breaking Point. This attack only works on wood or rock apparently, but.....meh. Fighting a stone/rock/gargoyle demon thing, I guess is kinda the same thing...._

_And, I know, I kinda go between the Japanese titles and the English translations a bit....but I've changed/grown in my style a little....and besides, I prefer Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken to whatever looooong sentence it translates to._

_Review, pretty please???_


	13. Chapter 13 By the Hundreds

A Family Like Mine

Chapter 13 – By the Hundreds

"No. I think I do want to hear what you have to say," Akane said, from behind gritted teeth.

"It's quite an expensive thought," Nabiki grinned.

Akane stormed out of the room, muttering under her breath. "I should have known."

Kasumi frowned. "I'm not sure you did the right thing here, Nabiki dear."

"Well, it doesn't matter now anyway, the damage is done. We're just going have to deal with the consequences now."

"What are the consequences?" Ryoga asked.

"Demons start appearing out of nowhere prepared to fight to the death for the jewel." In rememberance of the broken families Kagome'd come across, she hoped that no evil like Naraku would appear this time.

Ranma nodded. "So you're going to need constant protection then."

Thinking of what this 'protection' might entail, she winced.

"Don't worry, just leave it to us."

#

If she hadn't had an inch of privacy before...she definitely didn't have any now.

It wasn't that is was a bad thing that she always had someone to back her up, in case of emergencies – but...it was getting just slightly ridiculous. Because, when Ranma had said that everyone wanted to help...he'd meant that _everyone _wanted to help.

"Look! It Shampoo turn to guard now!"

"No! It's my turn, bimbo! Now get out of here before I pour a ton of batter on that nice, shiny hair of yours!"

"Ukyo, please," Kagome said, trying to intervene before things got too out of hand.

"Hah! Weakling like you cannot defeat great Amazon warrior!"

"Oh yeah? Wanna bet on that?"

"Guys!" Kagome shouted, stepping in between the two. "Look, _both _of you can follow me around if you want, but just stop fighting!"

"Tell her Kagome! Tell her she no wanted here!"

"Kagome! You'd rather have me with you, wouldn't you?"

Truthfully, Kagome agreed. Ukyo reminded her a lot of Sango. Both of them were strong, independent women, whom could be relied on and were incredibly loyal. And they both carried large weapons on their backs. Kagome couldn't help think sometimes, that her cousin and her friends, were just a parody of the friends she'd made in the feudal era.

Shampoo was nice too, but she was a lot of hard work, and she was just far too fickle. But she couldn't really say anything now, could she?

"Don't you guys have shops to run?"

Ukyo raised an eyebrow. "How can my shop be open when I have school?" She turned to look at Shampoo. "But you're not closed are you?"

Shampoo glared. "Shampoo will be back to look after Kagome later."

"Well that sure got rid of her."

Ukyo laughed, leaning back on her arms.

"Where'd Akane go anyway? She said she'd meet us on the field during lunch."

"Dunno. Probably demanding Ranma tell her why he won't let her be a bodyguard."

Kagome sighed. Ranma was enjoying his self-appointed post as 'Commander of the Troops' a little too much in her opinion.

Ukyo sat up straight, her eyes wide. "We've got to go look for them! I mean...they can't be left alone together!"

"For god's sake Ukyo, they_ live _together. Alone togtherness can't be avoided. Besides, does it really matter?"

"Yes!" Ukyo's eyes flickered from Kagome to the school building.

"But aren't you and Ranma just, you know, old friends?"

Ukyo frowned. "No, he's my fiancee."

"But think about it, the friendship you have with Ranma is...is friendship! You're comrades, and -"

"Look, Kagome, I know you're on this whole Ranma-and-Akane-together-forever crusade, but the fact is, Ranma is going to fufill his promise to me one way or another." Ukyo nodded in agreeance to her own words.

"Fine. But I'm not going to give this up either." Kagome paused, falling back into the soft, green grass. "Hey Ukyo?"

"Hm?"

"Why are you guys all so eager to protect me? I mean, I barely know you or Shampoo, but..."

Ukyo shrugged uncomfortably. "Let's call it good business...and besides, you're my friend now!"

"Oh. Thank-you," Kagome replied, still a little confused. She pulled out the jewel from underneath her uniform and twisted the chain around her fingers.

"The key-chain was pink." Ukyo said.

"What? Oh! Right, yeah well, I've been trying to purify it...or, well I didn't mean to and it happened anyway...I didn't even notice it had turned white till I got to the dojo." Kagome untangled her fingers and brought the jewel closer to her face for inspection.

"So...you mean there's no magic left?"

"No...I don't really know. But I do know that Kikyo thought that if the jewel could be completely purified it would vanish, for good." She clenched her hand around the jewel. "But...I havn't been able to find the right wish."

"The right wish?"

"Mm. A wish tainted by the slightest bit of jealousy or greed...the jewel itself is tainted, so it will use whatever oppurtunity it can to ruin things..."

She looked up to see Ukyo worriedly biting her lip.

"What's -"

"Kagome!" Akane fell on to the grass beside the other two girls. "Hey, Ukyo! Shampoo's gone I see."

"Yes, she is," Kagome agreed, rather sleepily...the sun was just so warm...and the grass was so soft...

"Did you guys hear that?" A shadow fell over Kagome and she shivered from the loss of the sun's heat. Ukyo was on her feet, scanning the area rapidly with her hair swinging out behind her.

"No..."

"There it is again! Listen!"

Kagome concentrated, and found she could hear something – a low, muffled, rumbling, just barely there.

Akane frowned, listening intently. "I can hear it."

Kagome curled her fingers into the gras as she tried to discern the direction the sound was coming from. The dirt shivered beneath her. Leaping up with alarm, she stared at the ground. "It's below us!"

The rumbling grew louder and the shaking got stronger, like a sort of tiny, localised earthquake. "Run!" Kagome screamed.

The three girls scrambled away just in time, as the earth broke open and a _giant _worm slithered out of the crater, roaring in fury.

Kagome could've started crying. There weren't supposed to be this many demons in _her _era! And what was this? The fifth demon this week?

The sooner she got rid of the damn jewel the better.

#

Kagome was lying in the grass in the Tendo garden once more. She was exhausted, and still a little bitter over a nasty scrape on her ankle, courtesy of a certain worm. Though it was starting to get dark and she was shivering, she made no move to go inside because quite frankly, Ranma and Akane and Ukyo and Ryoga (and all the rest) were giving her an intense headache.

They were all fighting pretty horribly over her _now,_ she hated to think how it would escalate when Kuno came back from wherever he was right now.

"Ugh!" Akane screeched, slamming the sliding door after her as she came to sit by Kagome. "I can't believe them!"

Kagome sighed. "Mmm. It's all a little much, isn't it?"

"I just...all they're after is a chance to..." Akane stopped. "Never mind."

A horrible feeling washed over Kagome as she thought of the various ways that sentence could have ended. She wrapped a protective hand over the Jewel. Akane's – and her's too, now – friends, were good people. But, they all had problems of some sort or the other, problems they'd long been searching for a solution for. If Ranma had the jewel...he wouldn't have to be a girl anymore.

If Ryoga had the jewel, he would gain back some of that dignity and self-esteem he'd lost with his change.

If Shampoo, or Mousse had the jewel....or _god forbid,_ Happosai got his claws on it...

She'd tried to explain, just what the evil the Jewel could do, but they were much like she had been at the start of her journey. They didn't fully comprehend it's power for evil – it was on a whole different scale to the demons they were used to fighting. None of them, not even Nabiki who'd sold her out in the first place, had seen what she had. Headless bodies, ravaged, torn, mangled bodies. Rotting flesh, falling from the faces of murdered children. And the blood. So, so, so much _blood_.

"I see," she whispered. Even between all this worry, Kagome couldn't help but also feel a little hurt.

Ukyo came out next, slamming the door just as hard as Akane.

"I'm sorry Kagome," she said, falling beside her.

Akane glared at Ukyo. "Hmph. You were one of the ones trying to get a piece of her. Don't try and deny it."

Ukyo looked at the ground miserably. "Well, yeah, I had...I thought, that maybe if I could lift Ranma's curse then he would...well. But after what you said at lunch Kagome, maybe, maybe it's not worth it. Maybe I would have made Ranma hate me instead."

Kagome reached out and took Ukyo's hand comfortingly. "At least I got through to one of you."

They all winced as they heard something crash.

"It's a wonder you have any possessions left," Kagome mused.

"Kasumi started putting the good china away a long time ago."

For a while they just sat together in silence, letting the war rage on behind them.

Shrieking suddenly, Akane got to her feet. "I can't take this anymore! Between the three of us, we should be able to take care of ourselves! We did pretty good to that worm demon!"

"But Ranma help- what am I saying? Of course we can take care of ourselves! We're as strong as any man!" Ukyo was on her feet too, smiling wickedly.

They both looked expectantly at Kagome. "Uh...power to the female?" She didn't really want to go anywhere. She was exhausted. But...

A small explosion shook the ground and rattled the house.

"Come on, quick, before they notice." And with that Kagome sneaked away with the two girls.

* * *

AN - Sorry! I was hoping to get this up sooner....but............gah!

Its shorter than the last one, because A) I needed desperately to get SOMETHING up for the sake of my writer's block (or rather my muse decided to take a detour) and B) Because I felt bad. I going away for a week, without access to a pc...and that just adds more bad time to my Record of Lates. Speaking of which, I was an HOUR late to piano today....and I have an exam in ... on the day after tomorrow!!!!! Gah!

*PANIC ATTACK*

*Cries hysterically*

*Runs away to magical forest, within which hides dream house, complete with internet access and live-action half-demon......also LACKING IN THREE ASSIGNMENTS THAT WANT TO BE HANDED IN ON MY FREAKING BIRTHDAY!!!!!! Not to mention English. Nooooo English there.*

Hope the chapter is okay untill I get the next one up, which I SWEAR will be more substantial (and more importantly interesting). I felt this one is just filler. But certain parts were necessary for the story.

Till next time......


	14. Chapter 14 Something Old, Something New

**Chapter 13 – Something Old, Something New**

The three girls sat tiredly on a low garden wall. Whose garden, they didn't know. They didn't really care, either.

"So...what now?"

"I don't know. Why are we out here again?"

"Because Ranma is a noisy, rude, pig-headed -"

"It wasn't just Ranma-honey you know!"

"Give it a rest you two! I'm too tired to handle any of this." Akane and Ukyo looked guiltily at Kagome. Well, she thought that they looked guilty – the faint neon glow from the street lamps wasn't much to see by. "What time is it any way?"

"Eleven? I don't know. No watch."

"Do you think things will have cooled down yet? I want to get some sleep."

All three sighed, knowing the arguments at the dojo would still be in full swing.

"Hang on! We can crash at my place tonight!"

Kagome almost growled in frustration. "Why didn't you think of that earlier?" She was far too tired to be relieved. Maybe in the morning she would be more grateful.

Ukyo's place wasn't even that far away, but every step felt never ending to Kagome. All she'd been surrounded with lately, was noise and violence. She thought wistfully of warm, lazy summer days, spent stretched out in the grass with nothing but the grumblings of a restless hanyou to keep her awake. She missed that.

Tears stung her eyes.

"Kagome? Are you okay?"

Kagome waved off Akane's worry with a laugh. "Fine. Just tired – I always get emotional when I'm tired."

"Tired? I sense more than physical exhaustion." She was tempted to start rolling her eyes at Akane; of course it was more than a simple need to sleep – but she realised, belatedly, that it hadn't been Akane who'd spoken, or even Ukyo.

A young man stood in front of them, smiling with secret knowing and carrying a large backpack over one shoulder. His smile faltered slightly, after getting no response but a dead silence. "Sorry. Didn't mean to intrude on personal matters - Mother always told me I never knew when to keep out."

"Huh? Oh, it's okay." Kagome blinked dumbly at the boy. There was something about him that bugged her.

"Well, no harm meant, anyway." He stuck out a hand. "Names Miroku, what's yours, gorgeous?"

Kagome gasped, but trying to hide her shock, quickly turned it into a cough. "Uh, sorry. I'm Kagome." She shook his hand, trembling. She realised what her problem with him had been – the boy shared a lot of his looks with her old friend. Was this really as it seemed?

Had she found Miroku's reincarnation?

"Well now that we know each other so well, can I ask you something?" Not letting go of her hand, this new Miroku pulled her in close, and looked deeply into her eyes. The sense of deja vu was nearly overwhelming – and she was pretty darn sure of what was about to happen. "Will you bear my children, Kagome?"

She cringed. Behind her Akane and Ukyo made sounds of fury.

"Well, you don't have to look so disgusted about it – it kinda hurts my feelings, ya know."

Kagome took a deep breath and calmed herself down. "Sorry," she said forcing herself to look at him. Yep, there was definitely resemblance, even in the bad lighting. "I can't have your children, but I can be your friend." The offer, she could tell, had shocked the two girls behind her. She didn't expect them to understand, but there was no way she was going to lose her new-old friend.

Miroku was definitely surprised. "Never had a girl say that before. My Sango likes to beat me around, and so does every other girl too...now that I come to think of it..."

"You're such a pervert! Kagome get away from him!"

But Kagome wasn't paying attention. She realised that she was nearly dead-from exhaustion; she realised she was still standing within the warm circle of her old (and soon to be new) best friend's boyfriend's arms; she realised that her cousin must be dying from the 'over-protective' instinct that was sure to be screaming right now...but this was an opportunity she couldn't afford to miss.

"Sango, huh? Is she your girlfriend?" Her tone was light and teasing – just like the good old days.

"I wish!" Kagome recognised the glazed look that appeared in Miroku's eyes and smiled. "But she doesn't even have the time of day for me!"

"She's secretly burning for you," Kagome assured him. "But she probably can't get past that perverted streak of yours."

"Really? How do you figure that?"

"Women's intuition."

Miroku looked thoughtfully at her. "You know...I've never had a girl who was just-a-friend before...this could come in quite handy." He cleared his throat. "Well Kagome, you have yourself a new best buddy. You call me," he produced for her, a crumpled business card, "and we'll set up a lunch date; have one of those girl talks. Okay?"

"Sure thing," she said, taking the card with a raised eyebrow. "Miroku's Mystical Market? We should probably include this as something to talk about. Girls love a guy with a strong career."

Miroku sighed. "Because you're my new best bud, I'm going to ignore that insult to my business."

"Kagome..." Akane tugged at her sleeve, extremely confused and upset by now.

"I'll see you later then..." Kagome was instantly snatched away and dragged down the street.

Once in the warmth and safety of Ukyo's apartment, Kagome was made to sit while Akane ranted.

"Kagome, I can not believe you! Fifty million demon attacks a day, and yet you just happily start making friends with random perverts on the street? I mean, it's the middle of the night! What kind of respectable person is even out that late? So what if he isn't a demon – he could still be after the jewel! I mean 'Mystical Market'? He has to know about the Jewel! He's probably just out to steal it from you so he can sell it to the highest bidder!"

Akane paused when Ukyo prodded her in the back.

"Akane, she's asleep."

"Oh."

#

Chouko was singing her silly rhymes again. It pissed him off to no end – but then, that's exactly why she did it.

"Shut up! And stop following me around!" He growled.

"But you look so lonely running around the place by yourself!"

"Doesn't mean I want your company!"

Chouko looked genuinely hurt by that. But InuYasha didn't care...that much. He liked her well enough, and he could tolerate her, but that was the extent of their friendship – on his end anyway.

"You're no fun InuYasha."

"He never was," a smooth, masculine voice interrupted cheerfully. Frozen, Chouko inspected the newcomer.

He was human and rather good-looking, with short black hair pulled back and -

"Dammit Miroku! What are you even doing here?" InuYasha yelled, interrupting Chouko's assessment. "How many times do I have to say it? Leave me alone!" InuYasha took to the trees. Again.

#

Kagome looked around the Cat Café. Finally she choose a table, that was as far away from the kitchen as she could possibly get, while still maintaining a healthy distance away from windows and doors – just to avoid the likely chance of eavesdroppers.

Akane (everyone, in fact) had not been happy about her 'new' friend. Being the smart, level-headed girl she was, Kagome had quickly made the compromise of meeting Miroku at the Cat Café. There, Shampoo and Mousse could keep an eye on her, and she could still have a degree of privacy. More than she'd have at Ukyo's okonomiyaki bar, anyway.

As she waited, Mousse brought out some tea. She held her cup, tapping her nails against the porcelain. Suddenly she was feeling very anxious. Her late night meeting with Miroku now seemed very surreal – what would happen in the bright afternoon sunshine?

"Hey, bestie. Hope I didn't keep you waiting." Miroku sat down across from her, looking, if possible like Miroku-the-Monk even more.

Kagome cleared her throat and shook her head. "Not at all."

"That's good. I've never been here before – what's good to eat?"

"Uh, actually I don't know."

"Never been her either? Why'd you choose it?"

"Overprotective friends," she answered, jabbing her thumb towards the kitchen. Shampoo, Mousse and even Cologne, could be seen watching curiously through the kitchen window. Kagome glared hard at them, and sheepishly they turned away. "They aren't as trusting as I am"

"Ah, I see." Miroku sighed dramatically. "Well, I shall just have to win them over."

"Here is menu! Would you like drink while decide?" Shampoo smiled brightly at them, as if she hadn't just been staring shamelessly.

Miroku took the menu and flicked through it. "What I would really like miss, if you would do me the honour of bearing my child?"

Kagome rolled her eyes from behind the menu she was reading. She heard a 'whap', and lowered her menu to inspect the damage. "I give you time to think, okay?" Shampoo left, still smiling sweetly. Miroku just looked unhappily as the the menu he was holding, the entire left side of his face glowing red.

"Women these days. Always hitting us men."

"You poor thing," Kagome said dryly, before returning to her menu. "The shrimp noodles are sounding good today...but I also feel like dumplings...what are you getting?"

Miroku sighed. "I think you and Sango will get on famously."

"I'm sure we will." Kagome grinned.

* * *

Sorry for the wait.....again. I think I did a better job of editing this time......but there's probably still mistakes in there somewhere.

And I think it won't be too long before the story starts ending. It just feels like its getting to that...point...? To me anyway.


	15. Chapter 15 Fighters

**Chapter 14 - Fighters**

Over the next three weeks, Kagome was floating on air. Not only had the demon attacks lessened dramatically, but she'd been spending time having pleasant and _relaxing _conversations with Miroku andSango. Sango, as she had predicted, was quickly becoming her new best friend. Again.

However, there were dark spots, in that she had to go home. While Kagome had always valued family, there was just something about jealous, overprotective family members that she had no patience for.

"You went there again, didn't you?" By there, Akane meant Sango's apartment.

"No, actually."

"Sure."

Kagome squirmed uncomfortably. "I was at the mall."

"But still with those weird people – don't deny it!"

"They're _good _people! They're my friends!"

"Well I don't trust them! There is just something not right here."

Both girls sighed. They'd been having this conversation a lot lately. "Well, anyway. Auntie called."

"Oh. I should call her." And now Kagome felt plain guilty. She'd barely talked to her mother since she gotten to the Dojo.

She wondered briefly, as she waited for someone to pick up, what her mother had been told about her exploits. It didn't matter anyway. Because she would be the one to understand about Miroku and Sango.

"Hello, Higurashi residence."

"Mom! It's me."

"Kagome!" Her mother sounded as happy as a kid who'd been given a trip to the candy store, and then told that school was out for the next week. It made Kagome feel worse about not calling.

"How wonderful to hear from you , dear."

"Yeah...sorry about that."

"Oh not to worry. Now, tell me who these new friends of yours are? Akane seemed quite worried about that."

So Akane had spilled. Oh well. "Oh yeah. Mom, you'll never guess what happened to me – I met Miroku and Sango again!"

"Again? Dear, weren't those your friends from...the, uhm," her mother was reluctant to say it.

"From before?"

"Yes, but it's their reincarnations! I found my best friends again!"

"Oh, I see. Well, I'm very happy for you – but please, keep in mind Akane's feelings too, dear. So how's school?"

#

"I'm. Not. Jealous." Akane swung another punch at Ranma, which he easily blocked.

"Yes you are. You're feeling completely rejected because your own cousin would rather hang out with some random dude she met on the street." Almost lazily, he threw his fist towards Akane. He just hoped she wouldn't notice he was going easy on her.

"I'm not jealous! It's just...I've been trying my best to help her - we've all been trying really hard – and then as soon as this guy appears she just forgets about us! Does she even care that we've been risking our lives for her?"

"Oh yeah, that reminds me. We need to have a meeting."

Akane just rolled her eyes. "You just like lording it over everyone else."

"Yep. Sure do." He paused a moment. "See what I did there Akane? I accepted what you told me. Learn something?"

"You're such a jerk sometimes!" This time she kicked him, catching him in the side.

"And you're a -" Ranma stopped here, a confused look coming over his face.

"Whatever. I'm going to go call that meeting." And then he left the dojo and Akane, who was watching him curiously.

"What was that about?"

#

"Hello again, Kagome dearest," Miroku smiled and slung an arm around her shoulders.

She smiled back up at him. "Remember what we talked about?"

"Yes, yes." Miroku hurriedly removed his arm and Kagome gave him an approving smile. "This winning Sango over thing, is quite a lot of work."

"Trust me, she knows."

The pair were walking through a residential area of Tokyo, where everything was quiet and peaceful. Kagome had barely seen anyone other than herself and Miroku, and felt that if it weren't for the concrete and electric wires, she could have been back in Feudal Japan

A violent roar shook the ground and Kagome sighed.

She definitely could have been back in Feudal Japan.

"Dammit," Miroku muttered. "I hate it when they get like this in public."

Kagome shot him a startled look. "What? H-how do you...How?"

Miroku shook his head, and looked around trying to spot the demon – not once looking up. Kagome saw and screamed, pushing Miroku to one side just in time as a glittering katana sliced the air where Miroku's head should have been.

The both rolled back to their feet, and reached for weapons that weren't there. Kagome made a noise of disgust, in the back of her throat. When had she gotten so lazy? Just because things had been calming down didn't mean the Jewel was no longer a target...

Kagome lurched to one side again, and saw out of the corner of her eye, Miroku doing the same. The demon, a fantastically winged creature with a humanoid body, not unlike a few moth demons she'd encountered, continued to swipe at them maniacally.

"I know you have the jewel, priestess," the demon sneered the title, "so better hand it over, or I'll rip it from your dead body!"

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard that one before!" Kagome yelled back, acting a lot braver than she felt without her weapons.

The demon only laughed, and sped towards her. Her mind went numb. Vaguely she heard Miroku scream, and the scream of tyres against concrete of a motor. Oh dear. She hoped they weren't scaring anybody.

The next moment she'd been flung through the air, to hit against a garden wall. A searing pain shot through her head, and she struggled to pull herself back to her feet. Sango, Kagome thought. When did Sango get here? The older girl brought up her own katana to block the demon sword, and thrust her weight forward to break the hold and cut upwards at the demon's stomach.

Strong hands took Kagome by the shoulders.

"Kagome, you're bleeding," Miroku murmured, trying to check the wound.

"Oh." She said, collapsing.

#

"So, you've finally found me. What now eh? Going to drag me back to that rank old village so you can feel like you've done something good for me?"

"InuYasha, please. I don't presume to know what's best for you, but some things I do know better than you. For instance, I know that you can't possibly be happy being cooped up in such a quiet, peaceful little forest like this."

InuYasha glared at Miroku, who sat leaning against the trunk of the tree he was currently perched in. "How do you know? Maybe I am happy. Maybe I like not having to struggle for my life very single day."

"Maybe not _every _day," said Miroku, amused for some reason that InuYasha could not even begin to understand. "But you would get bored without a struggle at least once a week. There's no denying it, InuYasha. You're a fighter."

InuYasha's hand itched towards the glorious steel fang at his waist – the one he hadn't had to use in so long.

* * *

I feel soooooo bad for not updating in forever! I thank everyone who continues to read, and reveiw! Your support is much appreciated, and believe it or not, does help to keep me writing!


	16. Chapter 16 The Curse

**16 - The Curse**

InuYasha knew that Miroku was right. He was a fighter. He _liked_ to fight. He wanted to feel that adrenaline rush again, and that sweet moment of victory that came after a life and death struggle. So that was why he was currently on all fours, sniffing around the lavish home of a village headman (whose village was a good few hours run from the forest he'd been holed up in for the past year).

"Have you found anything, sir?" The headman was bobbing around behind him, watching anxiously. InuYasha rolled his eyes at the 'sir', and marvelled a little at how word travelled.

It was strange to him, but everyone seemed to believe that the destroyer of Naraku, and guardian of the famed Shikon Jewel deserved nothing less than 'respect'. Secretly, he'd half expected to go back to the old way of living after Kagome's departure, feeling like anything good in him was all attributed to her in some way. But apparently not.

He could almost hear Kagome, telling him "See? It's karma," in her 'I-told-you-so' voice. Maybe, he thought. Maybe.

"Hm. I think so," he sad aloud, replying to the headman's question. "There's definitely been a demon of some kind, sneaking around."

"A demon! But no-one has seen anything like that!"

"Are you sure? Do you know if anyone had been near your treasury before the robbery?" Miroku and Kagome would be proud of him. He was 'playing detective' as Kagome called it.

"Well, only myself of course...and Keishiko. He was supposed to be updating the records."

InuYasha thought for a moment. "He could have been possessed I suppose." This was getting a little tricky now – he couldn't hit a demon out of a person with his Tetsusaiga. He went back to sniffing the ground and – there! He'd definitely found a trail now!

The scent led him to a clearing in the surrounding forest, nearly half an hour's walk from the village. In the middle of the clearing sat an odd kind of demon. His (or was it her?) face was unremarkable, the kind that InuYasha would never have remembered seeing. His height was average, and his skin pallid – nothing about this demon stood out particularly. If it weren't for the unmistakable scent of demon hanging around, InuYasha would have thought that the demon was actually a human.

The stolen goods had been piled all around the clearing. InuYasha grinned. Here came the fight.

"Oi! That doesn't belong to you!" He called out.

The demon looked up and gasped. "Oh! I'm lucky today! You're that InuYasha, right? Protector of the Shikon Jewel? Can't miss those ears!" The strange, happy-go-lucky voice that the demon used was a shocking contrast to his bland features.

"Uh, not anymore," InuYasha said, taken aback.

"What do you mean 'not anymore'? Have a fight with that priestess girlfriend or something?" as he said this, the demon began to change. He trembled and melted into a column of wobbling grey goo, and then solidified into another shape entirely – one that was female, very pretty, wearing a short green kimono and obviously supposed to be Kagome.

"How did you do that?" InuYasha demanded.

"I'm a shape-shifter, silly," the demon said in a nearly-Kagome-voice. Then he (she?) laughed. "Don't like the reminder?" Nearly-Kagome trembled again, then split down the middle to create two nearly-Kagome's, who both stood there laughing.

"Shut up!" InuYasha yelled, confused and extremely angry.

The demon, to InuYasha's surprise, did just that. The nearly-Kagome's folded their arms, and looked pissed beyond hell.

InuYasha narrowed his eyes, thinking. "Change back to your original form."

The demon did that too, and InuYasha smirked, pleased with himself.

"Speak if you wish."

"Thank-you! Look, I need that Shikon jewel to get rid of this stupid curse, if you have it..."

InuYasha just rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You're not even worth the trouble, not when you gotta do what I say. It's too easy. Give everything back to the people you took it from -"

The demon turned to run, but InuYasha yelled, "Listen to me!" just in time. "Don't ever take anything that's not yours ever again," he finished.

The demon screeched. "That's not fair! Reverse it! Reverse your order!"

"No," InuYasha said, before leaving to find a more worthy opponent.

#

"I don't trust them!" Akane screamed.

"Shut up! They're just in the other room! They'll hear you!"

"Sorry." Akane was quiet for a moment, clutching her tea cup until her knuckles where white. "But...there's something off about them, and I don't know what it is. And they let Kagome get hurt!"

"Kagome's gotten worse than that. I'm sure even her knight-in-shining-fur couldn't save her from a few bumps and bruises." Ranma rolled his eyes, to emphasise the fact he though Akane was going overboard on this whole thing. He just hoped it would hurry up and end soon – the only thing Akane ever talked about nowadays was Kagome's _saftey_. He understood that she was worried, but what about him? He wouldn't mind it if Akane wanted to fuss over him, just a little.

"But, some things about them, just don't make any sense."

"Like what?"

"Well, Kagome's a reincarnation of some priestess right? But Kagome says that the two of them were really different people. And the other day Kagome said that she'd gotten her best friends back and that they were just the same as she remembered. Why should they be the same people, even if they look similar?"

Ranma shrugged. "Maybe it's Kagome that's the exception."

Akane shook her head. "No. I mean, Sango had her family murdered, and that changes a person, right? If this new Sango never had that happen to her wouldn't she be...different?"

"Well, maybe it did."

Akane shrugged. "There's more...like, Tokyo's got like millions of people living in it, and it's just when Kagome happens to be feeling low, and depressed and stressed out that she runs into Miroku by some miracle? I mean, what's the chance of that? It seems like it was planned out to me, it's too coincidental."

Ranma shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah. I s'pose. I dunno. The lord works in mysterious ways?"

"Since when did you become religious?" Akane asked dully. "Anyway, speaking of chances, how did Sango get to Kagome just in time today? Neither Kagome or Miroku had cell-phones or weapons -"

"You don't know that he doesn't have a cell-phone -"

"If you're being attacked by a flying demon with a sword, you don't pull out your cell-phone, you run for cover, right?"

"I s'pose." Ranma grunted.

"Like I was saying, what's the chance that Sango _happened_ to be close enough, _with weapons _no less, just in time to save Kagome? I mean, Sango just _happened _to be driving around a suburban area, nowhere near her apartment, at the exact same time a demon comes flying out of nowhere?"

"Yeah I get it, too coincidental," Ranma snapped, trying to think.

Akane huffed. "So you see my point?"

"I guess." Ranma looked up at her. "Okay, say that Sango and Miroku are actually the bad guys, who are they really and what's the motive?"

"I don't know. Magicians or demons? And motive? The Shikon jewel obviously."

"I'm not entirely sure. They've had plenty of opportunities to take the jewel, and bump off Kagome." Ranma was silent a moment. "So they have some sort of higher purpose. Revenge?"

"But they could have killed her already by now."

"Maybe they want to make her suffer. Make her think she's safe and take it all back."

Akane paled at that. She wasn't sure if Kagome would take that any easier than her break up with InuYasha.

Ranma was about to say something else when they both heard the sound of footsteps. They both stop talking, guiltily, unable to look at three guests as they entered the room.

"Hey guys," Kagome said softly. "Have I missed dinner?"

Akane nodded, and sprang to her feet. "I'll heat up a plate for you."

An awkward silence followed. Ranma looked carefully at Miroku and Sango trying to decide whether they looked like people with malicious intentions. They didn't. The concern on Sango's face perfectly matched Akane's, and Miroku only stared grimly at his hands.

A sudden noise pierced the silence. Kagome had turned on the TV. "Sorry," she said, and turned the volume down.

Akane came back with a tray, loaded with food. "Can I get you guys anything?" She asked Sango and Miroku, not wanting to be rude to them in front of Kagome, regardless of her suspicions. When they both shook their heads, Akane resumed her seat.

More awkward silence.

And then Kagome slammed down her rice bowl. "I'm so sick of this!" She said, furiously. When she turned to face the rest of the group, her eyes were bright with unshed tears.

"I choose to stay here, so I could just get on with life! Normally! Instead Gramps is taken away from me and I have to continue guarding the jewel, only minus InuYasha!"

"Ka-kagome..." Akane was at loss for words. Ranma checked Sango and Miroku again, but the only thing he could tell, was that they looked unhappy.

"I'm sick of violence and demons and magic! I'm over the action! I'm ready to start living like a normal person again! I thought – I thought, that it'd be better now for some reason, with Sango and Miroku," Sango took Kagome's hand, but didn't say anything. "It was like I could have my happy ending with my friends _and _keep my family. But nothing has ended and I'm tired of it!"

Kagome shook, trying not to cry. "I just – just wish -"

Miroku hushed her. "Don't wish anything. You never know how the jewel will take it."

Akane frowned at him, and so did Ranma, as they both wondered whether it was right that Miroku know this sort of thing.

"There's nothing else for me to do." Kagome said stubbornly.

Miroku shifted, uneasy. "Well...you know I have experience with magical artifacts..."

Kagome smiled as she remembered Miroku's lame business. Though, Akane and Ranma didn't like where this was going.

"If...if you were okay with it...I could look after it for a while, until you get some of yourself back, that is. You need a break, I think."

Kagome looked at him startled. "You would do that? It'd put you in a lot of danger..."

Akane felt a growing sense of impending doom.

"Sango and I can handle it."

Sango nodded. "I think it's a good idea. Kagome, you're really run down."

"I – I am." Kagome was quiet for a moment. "Yes, please -"

"Kagome, wait!" Everyone turned to look at Akane. "I, uhm, think for a moment, are you sure?" Akane struggled with herself to tell Kagome all of her worries. But she couldn't, why should Kagome believe her? What if she were putting them all in danger by revealing them? What if she were wrong?"

Kagome sighed. "Yes. I'm sure. Miroku, please take the jewel." And she reached towards him, the jewel lying in the palm of her hand.

* * *

AN - Sorry for the long wait! This might seem sudden, plot-wise and all...and some of you might not like it......I dunno. The ideas have sort evolved somewhow, to how they started a year ago? more than that? less than that? And one day I will definitely be re-writing this to make it all smoother and less holey......oh and chouko mysteriously died, i think. I can't remember why she's there in the first place. probably to create tense romantic situations between inuyasha and kagome because i am a fangirl. but shes dying, because her character is stupid and pointless. in the rewrite she wont ever have existed in the first place.

sorry. im in a bad mood. but that doesn't change chouko's pointlessness.


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